Clyburn Says FCC Should Wrap Up Accessibility Issues Teed Up Under Wheeler
FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn Friday urged FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to wrap up action on three accessibility items started under predecessor Tom Wheeler. Clyburn spoke at a meeting of the FCC Disability Advisory Committee (DAC). First on Clyburn’s list was…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
video programming. "We cannot stand idly by as so many members of our communities are being left behind,” she said. "The time to act is now.” In March 2016, the FCC adopted an NPRM that proposed increasing video-described programming from 50 hours to 87.5 hours per calendar quarter, she said. “This would have expanded the availability of video described programming by 75 percent, allowing those who are blind or visually impaired, to immerse themselves in programming in a way that audio dialogue simply does not provide,” Clyburn said. “It is time to act and put this proposal into effect.” Clyburn also urged the FCC to make closed captioning more readily available. Last fall, the FCC opened a proceeding that would have ensured consumers can readily find and control the display features associated with closed captioning, Clyburn said. “What good however, is closed captioning if those that stand to benefit the most cannot easily find and use all of its features?” she asked. “I think it is time we put this item back on circulation and take action expeditiously.” The FCC also should act on a proceeding that would revise the volume control standards for wireless and wireline phones to better serve people with hearing loss, Clyburn said. The same proceeding also would address application of hearing aid compatibility standards to handsets used with advanced communications services, including VoIP, she said. Patrick Webre, acting chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, said the DAC has a big job ahead, starting with the development of criteria for measuring relay service quality and best practices for video description. DAC also will provide advice on emergency communications using real-time text, he said. “Your technology transition subcommittee is helping us address the challenges of compatibility and integration of real-time text with assistive technologies and relay services,” Webre said.