The FCC should adopt user accessibility rules
The FCC should adopt user accessibility rules to compel AT&T’s U-verse system to carry listings for public, educational and governmental (PEG) channels in order to make it easier for the disabled to find “helpful local programming,” said the Chicago Access…
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.
Corp. in an ex parte filing Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1b3UR0T). Under the name CAN-TV, Chicago Access operates five noncommercial public access PEG channels that feature content for people with visual, auditory and other disabilities. “It is impossible for anyone from the disability community to make informed local choices based on AT&T’s treatment of hundreds of PEG channels,” said the ex parte. “The only identification of a multitude of different channels is a generic listing for ‘Local Government, Education and Public Access.'” AT&T’s interface also makes it difficult for the disabled to find specific channels, the ex parte said. “The visually impaired are clearly disadvantaged on AT&T’s U-verse system in terms of finding and benefitting from CAN TV local channels and programming,” it said. CAN-TV wants the FCC to issue rules on U-verse’s listing and user interface as part of the rulemaking process on accessibility in user interfaces, implementing sections 204 and 205 of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CD June 3 p15). AT&T did not comment.