National Association of the Deaf

Submitted by admin on Mon, 06/07/2010 - 21:25

Take Action Now!  Ensure that ensure that S. 3304 - Equal Access to 21st Century Communications Act is the strongest legislation possible -- contact the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, and tell them why!

Volume counts!  Send e-mail, fax letters and make phone calls! 

Send this Action Alert to everyone you know - encourage others to take action now! Set up a phone/fax/e-mail party - make plans to take action together - now!

Below you will find the following sections:

• SAMPLE E-mail or Fax MESSAGE
• SAMPLE Phone MESSAGE
  
• Subcommittee Senators Contact Information

Personalize your message with a short story about why you want access. You can also change the sample message to fit your needs/situation.

Click here to view vlog by Leah Katz Hernandez and learn more about the recent Senate hearing on S. 3304 and why this bill is so important (testimony was provided by NAD President Bobbie Beth Scoggins and performing artist Russell Harvard).

Keep the Senate Subcommittee phone lines busy with calls! Fill up their e-mail boxes! Keep their fax machines busy! Take action now!

Please send a note to nad.info@nad.org - tell us who you contacted.

Thank you for taking action!

_______________________________________________________

SAMPLE E-mail or Fax MESSAGE

Subject: S. 3304 – Equal Access to 21st Century Communications

Dear Senator and Member of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet:

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (July 2010) by making the “Equal Access to 21st Century Communications Act” (S. 3304) the strongest legislation possible.

S. 3304 will enable people who are deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, or deaf-blind to do the following:

• have increased access to advanced communication products and services
• use Lifeline and Link-Up subsidies to help pay for broadband services
• benefit from $10 million annual allocation of Universal Service Funds for specialized equipment for people who are deaf-blind
• use relay services to call anyone, including each other
• have relay services funded by Internet voice communication service providers
• communicate using digital real-time text (every letter typed is sent), which is especially important in emergencies
• have closed captions on TV programs distributed over the Internet
• access closed captions using any video device of any size
• have a closed caption button on remote controls and on the first menu that appears when on-screen menus are displayed
• and more!

Access to advanced communication products and services is essential. Companies that provide advanced communications must take action that is not a significant difficulty or expense (an “undue burden”) to make their products and services accessible.

Please show your support for updating the Communications Act so that I am not left behind!

Sincerely,

[Your Name and Address]

_______________________________________________________

SAMPLE Phone MESSAGE

My name is ___________.

 I am calling Senator ___________, a member of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, about S. 3304 – the Equal Access to 21st Century Communications Act.

S. 3304 will enable people who are deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, or deaf-blind to:

• have increased access to advanced communications products and services
• have closed captions on TV programs distributed over the Internet
• access closed captions using any video device of any size
• and more!

Access to advanced communication products and services is essential. Companies that provide advanced communications must take action that is not a significant difficulty or expense (an “undue burden”) to make their products and services accessible.

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ADA (July 2010) by making S. 3304 the strongest legislation possible. Please show your support for updating the Communications Act so that I am not left behind!

Thank you.

[Your Name and Address]

_______________________________________________________

Subcommittee Senators Contact Information

Send one e-mail message to these Senators’ designated staff:

john_richards@begich.senate.gov. michael_vehr@lemieux.senate.gov, clint_odom@billnelson.senate.gov. michael_quiello@isakson.senate.gov, marie_blanco@inouye.senate.gov, landon_fulmer@brownback.senate.gov, zak_baig@vitter.senate.gov, ron_lefrancois@snowe.senate.gov, daniel_schill@klobuchar.senate.gov, susan_sweat@wicker.senate.gov, stephen_hedger@mccaskill.senate.gov, patrick_lehman@johanns.senate.gov, jason_mulvihill@ensign.senate.gov, marc_paul@lautenberg.senate.gov, michael_collins@tomudall.senate.gov, matt_hoskins@demint.senate.gov, brendon_plack@thune.senate.gov, jonathan_davidson@warner.senate.gov, mac_campbell@cantwell.senate.gov

- or -

Send messages by e-mail, fax, or phone to these Senators:

Senator Daniel K. Inouye (Hawaii)
E-mail form online at http://inouye.senate.gov/Contact/Email-Form.cfm
E-mail staff at marie_blanco@inouye.senate.gov
Fax: 202-224-6747
Phone: 202-224-3934

Senator Bill Nelson (Florida)
E-mail form online at http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
E-mail staff at clint_odom@billnelson.senate.gov
Fax: 202-228-2183
Phone: 202-224-5274

Senator Maria Cantwell (Washington)
E-mail form online at http://cantwell.senate.gov/contact/
E-mail staff at mac_campbell@cantwell.senate.gov
Fax: 202-228-0514
Phone: 202-224-3441
TTY: 202-224-8273

Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (New Jersey)
E-mail form online at http://lautenberg.senate.gov/contact/index1.cfm
E-mail staff at marc_paul@lautenberg.senate.gov
Fax: 202-228-4054
Phone: 202-224-3224
TTY: 202-224-2087

Senator Claire McCaskill (Missouri)
E-mail form online at http://mccaskill.senate.gov/?p=contact
E-mail staff at stephen_hedger@mccaskill.senate.gov
Fax: 202-228-6326
Phone: 202-224-6154

Senator Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota)
E-mail form online at http://klobuchar.senate.gov/emailamy.cfm?contactForm=emailamy&submit=Go
E-mail staff at daniel_schill@klobuchar.senate.gov
Fax: 202-228-2186
Phone: 202-224-3244

Senator Tom Udall (New Mexico)
E-mail form online at http://tomudall.senate.gov/?p=contact
E-mail staff at michael_collins@tomudall.senate.gov
Fax: 202-228-3261
Phone: 202- 224-6621

Senator Mark Warner (Virginia)
E-mail form online at http://warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=contact
E-mail staff at jonathan_davidson@warner.senate.gov
Fax: 202-224-6295
Phone: 202-224-2023

Senator Mark Begich (Alaska)
E-mail online form at http://begich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailSenator
E-mail staff at john_richards@begich.senate.gov
Fax: 202-224-2354
Phone: 202-224-3004

Senator John Ensign (Nevada)
E-mail form online at http://ensign.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm
E-mail staff at jason_mulvihill@ensign.senate.gov
Fax: 202-228-2193
Phone: 202-224-6244
TTY: 202-228-3364

Senator Olympia J. Snowe (Maine)
E-mail form online at http://snowe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactSenatorSnowe....
E-mail staff at ron_lefrancois@snowe.senate.gov
Fax: 202-224-1946
Phone: 202-224-5344

Senator Jim DeMint (South Carolina)
E-mail form online at http://demint.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=CommentOnLegislationIssues
E-mail staff at matt_hoskins@demint.senate.gov
Fax: 202-228-5143
Phone: 202-224-6121

Senator John Thune (South Dakota)
E-mail form online at http://thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Email
E-mail staff at brendon_plack@thune.senate.gov
Fax: 202-228-5429
Phone: 202-224-2321

Senator Roger F. Wicker (Mississippi)
E-mail form online at http://wicker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.EMailSenato...
E-mail staff at susan_sweat@wicker.senate.gov
Fax: 202-228-0378
Phone: 202-224-6253

Senator George S. LeMieux (Florida)
E-mail form online at http://lemieux.senate.gov/public/?p=EmailSenatorLeMieux
E-mail staff at michael_vehr@lemieux.senate.gov
Fax: 202-228-5171
Phone: 202-224-3041

Senator Johnny Isakson (Georgia)
E-mail form online at http://isakson.senate.gov/contact.cfm
E-mail staff at michael_quiello@isakson.senate.gov
Fax: 202-228-0724
Phone: 202-224-3643

Senator David Vitter (Louisiana)
E-mail form online at http://vitter.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm
E-mail staff at zak_baig@vitter.senate.gov
Fax: 202- 228-5061
Phone: 202-224-4623

Senator Sam Brownback (Kansas)
E-mail form online at http://brownback.senate.gov/public/contact/emailsam.cfm
E-mail staff at landon_fulmer@brownback.senate.gov
Fax: 202-228-1265
Phone: 202-224-6521

Senator Mike Johanns (Nebraska)
E-mail form online at http://johanns.senate.gov/public/?p=EmailSenatorJohanns
E-mail staff at patrick_lehman@johanns.senate.gov
Fax: 202-228-0436
Phone: 202-224-4224

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