WASHINGTON – Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet today introduced the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act to enhance access to broadband technology and services for persons with disabilities. Rep. Heather A. Wilson (R-NM) joined Rep. Markey as an original co-sponsor of the bill.
Rep. Markey said,
"New Internet-based technologies have revolutionized the way Americans
interact, learn and conduct business. However the wizardry of the wires and the
sophistication of software programs do little for those who cannot affordably
access or effectively use them. This bill is an opportunity to ensure that
all Americans are offered equal access to these exciting and innovative new
technologies."
"This bill will help people with all kinds
of disabilities be able to get emergency information by using advances in
technology we all take for granted," Rep. Wilson said
The bill would amend the Communications Act to ensure that
new Internet-enabled telephone and video services and equipment are accessible
to and usable by people with disabilities and closes existing gaps in
telecommunications laws. From extending hearing aid compatibility and Internet
closed captioning to real-time text support for emergency services, the bill
seeks to provide a smooth migration to the next-generation of Internet-based
and digital communication technologies.
Robert Davila,
President of Gallaudet University, applauded the 21st Century Communications
and Video Accessibility Act saying that it "will
go a long way toward advancing our ongoing struggle to ensure that new
communications technologies will be accessible to Gallaudet's students, both
while they are engaged in institutional studies and after they enter the job
market"
The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology
(COAT) applauded the legislation. Karen Peltz Strauss of Communication Service
for the Deaf called the bill a "giant
step forward toward bringing the Communication Act's requirements for
accessible telephone and television services into this century. The various provisions of this legislation -
which focus on new and innovative ways to communicate and receive information -
build on existing federal policies to ensure that people with disabilities can
take full advantage of the Internet advancements enjoyed by everyone else."
"To those who claim this bill will be an
economic burden on the industry and consumers, I remind them of the arguments
raised against hearing aid compatibility or against the closed captioning bill
I sponsored and successfully battled to make law in 1990. In that debate, we
were told that mandating closed captioning was overly burdensome and would cost
a fortune. Today, that law is indispensable and the update this new bill
provides will be equally indispensable," added Rep. Markey.
Please click here for a summary and full text of the bill.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 19, 2008 |
CONTACT: Jessica Schafer, 202.225.2836
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