National Association of the Deaf

Submitted by cmssw on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 21:44

On June 26, 2009, in the U.S. House of Representatives, Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced comprehensive legislation to ensure that people with disabilities have access to Internet-based communications and video programming technologies.
Some of the key provisions of the “Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009” (H.R. 3101) will:

• Extend closed captioning to television-type video distributed over the Internet.
• Require closed captioning display capability in all video devices.
• Require easy access to closed captions via remote control and on-screen menus.
• Allow up to $10 million/year for equipment used by people who are deaf-blind.
• Allow deaf and hard of hearing people with low incomes to use of Lifeline and Link-up funds for broadband services.
• Permit relay services to connect people with different communication devices, such as enabling a TTY user to call a videophone user.

The NAD needs you to contact your elected representatives by phone, letter, or email.
You can also visit the websites of your U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators and send your message by completing their contact form online.

Urge your U.S. Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 3101 – explain why this is important to you.
Urge your U.S. Senators to sponsor and introduce a bill in the Senate, similar to H.R. 3101 – explain why this is important to you.

Encourage other people to do the same!

For more information, see “Latest News” at www.nad.org.