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.
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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.
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On Friday, June 27, the Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC) at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) held its quarterly meeting. This was the first meeting that ACB participated in as a voting member of the committee. Prior to becoming a member of the committee, ACB actively participated in the Disability Access Working Group, which handles access issues pertaining to digital television and broadcast programming. Over the past nine months, ACB has worked diligently to bring emergency information to the forefront of the committee's list of critical issues to consider. I am very pleased to report that the working group's proposed resolution, a draft of which is pasted below (in the next message box), was adopted by the full committee during this meeting. This resolution will now be sent to the Commissioners and Chairman Martin for further consideration. As the new co-chair of the Disability Access Working Group, I will be participating in meetings with FCC commissioners and eventually Chairman Martin later this year regarding emergency information access.
I. FCC Action on Access to Televised Emergency Programming by People who are Blind or Have Low Vision.
A. The Problem
Currently, FCC rules (47 CFR Part 79.2) on emergency programming only require an audio tone that alerts blind people of the need to access emergency information when emergency text is provided on televised programming. Once the tone is heard, it is expected that such individuals will then turn to a second source (e.g., a radio) to obtain additional information about the emergency. This is not considered an effective means of providing emergency information to people who cannot see television.
B. Request for CAC Action
The Disability Access Working Group requests that the Consumer Advisory Committee adopt the following:
The Consumer Advisory Committee respectfully requests that the FCC take action to ensure that individuals who are blind or have low vision have access to televised emergency programming. To accomplish this, the FCC needs to identify methods to make such on-screen-displayed text - which includes written or other non-verbal information (whether scrolled or displayed as characters or images) that appears on a television screen - accessible to this population. Such text should include information provided:
* during regular programming when such information is provided to afford viewers with warnings of and instructions on how to respond to emergency or hazardous conditions;
* during local and national news bulletins; and
* during the broadcasting of any other information the Commission deems appropriate.
Respectfully submitted,
Members of the Disability Access Working Group