Late last evening the FCC released a consumer advisory pertaining to video description for digital television. This document is pasted below this message.
This advisory, while not complete in its education of the blind consumer regarding video description housed on digital TV, does signal to the blindness community that the FCC realizes there are still issues concerning our ability to locate description on digital TV.
This is the first advisory regarding description since its mandate was overturned in 2002. Furthermore, this document references two converter boxes that have been tested by WGBH in Boston that will provide pass-through for video description. Both of these boxes are certified for sale under the Coupon Converter Box Program that is run by the federal government.
This advisory is only the first step in the FCC's acknowledgement of our intense desire to have video description accessible for the blindness community. A representative from the FCC will be speaking at the Legislative Seminar on July 6. I encourage you to come and voice your thoughts on this subject. While this advisory isn't everything we would've hoped for, it does show that the FCC is listening to ACB. There is much more to be done to ensure blind and visually impaired individuals have accessible consumer electronics available to them and ACB is actively fighting for this right.
IF YOU CURRENTLY USE AVAILABLE VIDEO DESCRIPTIONS TO ACCESS TELEVISION PROGRAMMING, YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING REGARDING THE DIGITAL TELEVISION (DTV) TRANSITION:
* After February 17, 2009, all full-power broadcast television stations will broadcast only in digital format.
* The DTV transition will provide broadcasters with a greater number of audio channels with which they may provide voluntary video description.
* Digital-to-analog converter boxes are not required to process all associated audio services broadcast by a DTV station, so consumers should check with manufacturers and retailers to learn more about whether specific digital-to-analog converter boxes are able to provide video descriptions.
* Although televisions with digital tuners should be able to process the audio services associated with DTV signals, consumers should confirm that a particular digital television includes this feature by checking with the appropriate manufacturer or retailer.
* If purchasing a digital television or digital-to-analog converter box, consumers should ask the manufacturer or retailer how audio streams are accessed, and whether the remote control and on-screen menus are accessible to individuals with vision disabilities.
* Consumers using multi-channel video services (e.g., cable or satellite) should ask their service provider for additional information about the availability of video description. To the extent that such providers receive programming with video description, those video descriptions should be delivered to the consumer.
Yesterday Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) introduced S. 3112, The Javits-Wagner-O'Day and Randolph-Sheppard Modernization Act of 2008. This legislation seeks to make several significant changes to both programs. The content of this bill has been actively worked on for the past three years but had stalled over the past year. I believe that this bill was introduced yesterday in order to make public everything that had been worked on over the past few years. Sen. Enzi announced that he does not plan to hold hearings or attempt to move S. 3112 this year. Below is a brief summary of some of the Randolph-Sheppard changes.
POSITIVE PROVISIONS
- Having states work to develop programs for business ownership in the private sector for blind entrepreneurs.
- Creating tougher requirements for federal agencies to create additional RS sites.
- A mechanism for blind entrepreneurs to bid on contracts if the state declines to do so.
CONCERNING PROVISIONS
- Reconfiguring the existing Committee for Purchase and giving it administration of both the RSA and JWOD.
- SLAs must train and give RS permits to persons with other severe disabilities beyond blindness, starting three years after enactment of the legislation.
- Merging any state VR self-employment program with the RSA to create one entrepreneurial self-employment program for all persons who are blind or have severe disabilities; reserving a portion of (new?) vending sites for the blind and another portion for persons with other disabilities.
- Limiting participation of a teaming partner to three years on any given contract. (Note: This provision appears to apply only to RS contracts, not to JWOD contracts)
RS MILITARY CONTRACTING
- JWOD cannot compete for full food contracts.
- Any full food contract currently on the procurement list will be removed after five years.
- SLAs will have equal preference in competition for full food service contracts with 8(a), HUBZone, and Alaska Native Corporations.
- There will be no priority for the blind in full food contracting. This provision appears to be limited only to military contracts, though we are trying to confirm that this is in fact the intent.
With digital television, broadcasters have more audio channels on which to provide video description. Because digital television encodes audio in a different manner than the encoding used in analog television, digital television does not utilize a SAP channel to transmit video descriptions. The digital television standards provide for two types of main audio service and six types of associated services, including associated services for people with vision disabilities.
The standards also permit the transmission of secondary language programming. So while there was one option under the old analog TV service (i.e., the SAP channel), broadcasters now have more audio channels to provide this voluntary service. However, we note that inserting video descriptions into digital programming that was not created by the distributor may involve additional expense for broadcasters; for this reason, consumers should contact their local broadcasters to determine whether video description is offered.
Televisions with digital tuners should be able to process the audio services associated with the digital TV signals through functions that are built into their systems. Consumers should confirm with the manufacturer, owner's manual or retailer prior to purchase to determine if this feature is included in the digital TV. For consumers who will be using a digital-to- analog converter box to receive digital over-the-air television signals on an analog television, we note that some of the digital-to-analog converter boxes that have been approved for NTIA coupon eligibility are capable of processing the associated audio services that are broadcast by a digital television station. In particular, the WGBH National Center for Accessible Media, located in Boston, Mass., has found that two specific coupon-eligible digital-to-analog converter boxes the Digital Stream DTX 9900 and Insignia NS-DXA1 have demonstrated the capability to pass through video description.
(Federal law provides for two $40 coupons per household to defer the costs of the digital-to-analog converter boxes. Consumers may find out more information about this coupon program, administered by the NTIA, at www.dtv.gov or at www.dtv2009.gov, or by calling 1-888-DTV-2009.) However, because coupon-eligible digital-to-analog converter boxes are not required to have this feature, consumers are advised to check with the manufacturer, owner's manual or retailer prior to purchase to determine if a specific digital-to-analog converter box will serve their particular needs. Accessing additional audio program streams (including video description) typically occurs either though a designated button on the remote control or through an on-screen menu. Unfortunately, if the controls on the television or digital- to-analog converter box are not accessible to people with vision disabilities, it may be a challenge to obtain the descriptions. In such cases, the consumer must know which audio stream the video description is on in advance, as well as how to access this channel. We therefore urge consumers to ask the manufacturer or retailer how audio streams are accessed prior to purchasing a digital television or digital-to-analog converter box. In addition, the consumer should ask whether the on-screen menus as well as the remote controls that are used to access the on-screen menus are accessible to individuals who have vision disabilities. Finally, the consumer should contact local television stations to see if they are transmitting video descriptions, and if so, for which programs.
Consumers using cable or satellite services should ask for additional information about the availability of video description from their service providers.
To the extent that cable systems, satellite systems or other multi-channel video programming distributors receive programming with video description, those video descriptions should be delivered to the consumer. As with broadcast television, subscription-based television consumers must ensure that their television is capable of displaying available video descriptions and that video description functionality may be accessed by people with vision disabilities.