COAT Press Release re recent Senate Action on S. 3304

Washington, DC, August 10, 2010: - 

The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) applauds the U.S. Senate for passage of the "Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act" (S. 3304) by unanimous consent on August 5, 2010. COAT especially thanks Senator Pryor (D-AR), who introduced S. 3304, as well as co-sponsors Senators Kerry (D-MA), Dorgan (D-ND), and Conrad (D-ND). Passage of S. 3304 was also supported by Senators Hutchison (R-TX), Ensign (R-NV), and Schumer (D-NY).

S. 3304 requires captioned television programs to be captioned when delivered over the Internet, requires video description on television for people with vision loss, allocates $10 million per year for communications equipment used by people who are deaf-blind, ensures emergency information is accessible to individuals who are blind or have low vision, and provides for accessibility of advanced communications such as text messaging, email and web browsing on mobile devices, among several other provisions.

"The U.S. Senate takes us a huge step forward for accessible technology," said Jenifer Simpson of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), a COAT founding member. "They have given Americans with disabilities access to smart phones, other advanced communications technology, and video programming," she added.

"We are delighted that S.3304 ensures the availability of captioning for television programs on the Internet," said Rosaline Crawford of the National Association of the Deaf, another COAT leading organization. "Our community was left behind as television moved to the Internet, and S. 3304 takes a big step in the right direction," she added.

"Video description for television programs - the narration of visual elements during pauses in dialogue - is essential in this day and age," said Eric Bridges of the American Council of the Blind, another COAT leader. "More importantly, I thank the U.S. Senate for ensuring that we will now have access to the same emergency information everyone else has been seeing on television for years. Unbelievably, up until now, all the FCC has required is an audible tone on television to alert people who are blind or visually impaired that they should go seek out emergency information somewhere else. Having equal access to emergency information increases the safety of our community and will save lives!"

Among the other provisions in S. 3304 are requirements for accessible user controls for televisions and set-top boxes, and easy access to closed captioning and video description. Mark Richert of the American Foundation for the Blind, another leading COAT organization said: "The Senate's action last week brings people with vision loss so much closer to the access they deserve to advanced communications equipment and services, such as text messaging, email, and web browsing. These technologies aren't luxuries; they are essential tools for learning, working and participating in community. The U.S. Senate's leadership will bring people into the digital world, people who have been left out and left behind when industry fails to design accessibility into their products and services. S. 3304 will encourage companies to innovate to make advanced communications accessible on smart phones and other devices."

S. 3304 will now go to the House of Representatives.  

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About COAT:  The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology, or COAT,founded in March 2007, is a coalition of over 310 organizations that advocates for legislative and regulatory safeguards that will ensure full access by people with disabilities to evolving high speed broadband, wireless and other Internet protocol (IP) technologies.  More information is available at http://www.coataccess.org or by e-mail to info@coataccess.org.