Congress is working on HR 3101 known as the “21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009”, which would require making the internet more accessible using closed-captioning, real-time texting and video description.
[NY Daily News](http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2009/09/01/2009-09-01_gov_bill_sends_the_digital_age_to_the_disabled_via_realtime_texting_and_other_in.html) reports, “The new bill would make closed captioning mandatory for large Internet television and movie distributors, excluding user-based sites such as YouTube. The bill would also lift an outdated standard enforcing closed captioning only on TV sets of 13 inches or greater, opening up captioning to smart phones and other portable devices that display video.
“The H.R. 3101 bill also aims to bring back a revoked standard on video description for the blind, a technology where a narrator depicts a televised scene in-between character dialogue.”
The trick thing about internet videos is that many of us individuals who know how to operate a video camera, don’t necessarily know how to do much more than upload the video. So how do you create a reasonable law? Of course, I’d like to see more online captions, but I also know we need to be realistic.
The real-time texting targets cell phones to speed response for 911 emergencies.
The baby boomers’ aging compels Congress to come up with more laws and smart businesses to ensure they provide accessible content. This [Many Tribes video discusses the impact of HR 3101](http://manytribes.blogspot.com/2009/08/impact-of-limited-captioning-on.html) (captioned and ASL).
Links: [Laura Carlson](http://webstandardsgroup.org/features/laura-carlson.cfm)
2 comments
Looking for news headlines videos with closed captions. Do you know of a broadcaster who shows cc videos regularly.
I’d be most grateful. PJ
No… best bet is to go to http://22frames.com/ and see what you can find there.