Several associations representing local governments have weighed in...
Several associations representing local governments have weighed in with the FCC on proposed measures to make user interfaces and programming guides more accessible to those with disabilities, according to letters filed with the FCC Tuesday. FCC staff have said the…
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commission is likely to issue an NPRM soon on sections 204 and 205 of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), which govern user interfaces and program guides (CD May 1 p6). The National Association of Counties, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors signed a letter (http://bit.ly/13fB49K) asking the commission to require cable operators to carry “community provided local program information and local channel names” on their onscreen program guides, if the community chooses to provide them with the information. “For local government the issue of accessibility and availability are intertwined,” said the letter. Montgomery County, Md.’s Office of Cable and Broadband Services filed an ex parte letter (http://bit.ly/ZF0vgB) asking the commission to require those user interfaces and video programming guides that display channel and program information to include a symbol identifying the programs with accessibility options “in real time” so users can know if a program has those options before they start watching it. “Our organizations strongly support the Commission’s efforts to convert the legislative mandates of the CVAA into practical safeguards,” said the letter from the national organizations.