"This page is a digitally archived AccessInfo Announcement"
Washington, DC -- At the November 30 Commission Meeting, FCC staff outlined the requirements of the newly-enacted 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (Accessibility Act) and discussed plans to implement the Act over the next few years. The transcript of this presentation,including the PowerPoint, is now available on the Commission's website at: http://reboot.fcc.gov/open-meetings/2011/november
Two of the first items in the new legislation to be implemented have been announced today in Public Notices: the establishment of two advisory committees and the selection of their members by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.
The first cominittee is the Emergency Access Advisory Committee (EAAC), which will focus on the most effective and efficient technologies and methods by which to enable access next generation 911 access for persons with disabilities. The Accessibility Act directs that within one year after the EAAC's members are appointed, it will conduct a national survey, with the input of groups represented by the Committee's membership, and then submit to the Commission recommenations to implement technologies and methods to achieve its goals. The first meeting of the E!AAC will be Friday, January 14, 2010, at the Commission's headquarters.
The second committee is the Video Programming and Emergency Access Advisory Committee (VPEAAC), which will focus on matters pertaining to the accessibility of video programming. The VPEAAC will develop recommendations on closed captioning ofinternet programming previously captioned on television; the compatibility between video programming delivered using Internet protocol and devices capable of receiving and displaying such programming in order to facilitate access to captioning, video description and emergency information; video description and accessible emergency information on television programming delivered using Internet protocol or digital broadcast television; accessible user interfaces on video programming devices; and accessible programming guides and menus. Within 6 months of its first meeting, the VPEAAC must submit recommendations concerning the provision of closed captions for Internet-delivered video programming and the ability of video devices to pass through closed captions contained on Internet-based video programming. By April 8, 2012, it must submit recommendations on the remaining issues. The first meeting of the VPEAAC is scheduled for;Januazy 13, 2011, at the Commission's headquarters.
All EAAC meetings and VPEAAC meetings will be open to the public.