National Association of the Deaf

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is pleased to report that, yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet voted favorably on H.R. 3101, the Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act. The bill will be considered next by the full Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA), chairman of the Subcommittee, offered an “Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute” (a new H.R. 3101) which replaced the original bill. Advocates expect the full Committee to address some of the concerns raised by some Subcommittee members, for example, the scope of the bill, FCC authority, and limited expansion of video description requirements.

The NAD, a leader in the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT), will analyze the substitute bill, and recommend advocacy strategies to keep H.R. 3101 as strong as possible. For example, advocacy efforts will be needed to recover the section in H.R. 3101 which provided funding for specialized communications equipment needed by people who are deaf-blind, such as refreshable Braille devices. That section was not included in the new H.R. 3101.

For more information, visit the Subcommittee’s webpage on H.R. 3101, including:

• Chairman Waxman’s Opening Statement
• Chairman Boucher’s Opening Statement
• Briefing Memo
• Markup Action Sheet
• Text of H.R. 3101 (original bill)
• Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (the new H.R. 3101)
• A captioned video of yesterday’s proceeding.

Stay tuned to the NAD website and follow the NAD on Twitter for H.R. 3101 news and action alerts.