NAD Urges Protest Against FCC

Submitted by admin [1] on Fri, 09/01/2006 - 03:00

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is urging consumers to protest against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and tell the FCC to support closed captioning.

After living for decades with televised news and entertainment they could not hear, closed captioning was the dream, hope, and promise of equal access to the deaf and hard of hearing community.  The closed captioning rules set the stage to increase the amount of captioned television programs gradually, over nearly a decade. In January 2006, the ultimate benchmark was reached – 100% of all new television programs would be captioned, with some exceptions.

The FCC established a process for requesting and granting requests for exceptions when closed captioning was an "undue burden" (too difficult or too expensive). That process includes public notice and an opportunity to comment.  The NAD and other advocacy groups participated in that process for years.  Since 1999, the FCC granted only three requests, and allowed these exemptions only for a limited time (one to three years each).

On the heels of the January 2006 benchmark, the FCC received over 500 requests for exemption from the closed captioning rules. Without public notice or comment, the FCC granted almost 300 of those requests. The FCC shut out the NAD, other advocacy groups, and consumers from the FCC’s own well-established process. "The FCC closed the door by not permitting us to participate in the process and by allowing almost 300 television programs to be shown without closed captions," said Nancy J. Bloch, Chief Executive Officer of the NAD.

Rosaline Crawford, an attorney with the NAD said, "We believe the FCC has an obligation to ensure a transparent, open, and public process."  The FCC failed to follow its own rules and took action that resulted in the denial of access to hundreds of television programs by deaf and hard of hearing consumers. "This FCC action," Crawford continued, "is unprecedented and outrageous. We will not be silent."

Jenifer Simpson, Technology & Telecommunications Policy Director at the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) added: "The FCC’s actions here are sending a signal to 31 million deaf and hard of hearing Americans that their government is not looking out for them. Closed captioning is critical to receiving information, learning about and participating in the world; from news and emergency information to comedies, drama, shopping, religion, real estate, home improvement, hunting, fishing, city nightlife, talk and quiz shows."

The NAD wants the FCC to support and enforce the closed captioning rules. The FCC should not create new categories of exceptions or grant unwarranted exemptions. Without FCC support of closed captioning, hundreds of other TV programs may expect to be excused from the closed captioning rules.

The NAD urges consumers to protest against the FCC. Go to www.nad.org/fccclosedcaptioningdecisions [2] to take action now.

Consumers can also take action through the AAPD at http://www.aapd.com/News/telecomm/060915aapd.htm [3]