[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 74 (Monday, April 18, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21741-21742]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-9339]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[DA 11-428]


Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Programming 
Accessibility Act; Announcement of Town Hall Meeting

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission announces that it held a Town 
Hall meeting on The Twenty-First Century Communications and Video 
Programming Accessibility Act (the Act or CVAA) hosted by the 
California State University at Northridge (CSUN). The Town Hall meeting 
provided an orientation to the Act, and discussed the advanced 
communications and video programming changes required by the Act.

DATES: The Town Hall meeting was held on Thursday, March 17th, 2011 
from 9:20 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel, One Market Place, Room H-
I, San Diego, CA 92101.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pam Gregory, Consumer and Governmental 
Affairs Bureau, 202-418-2498 (voice), 202-418-1169 (TTY), or 
[email protected] (e-mail); or Jamal Mazrui, Wireline Competition 
Bureau, 202-418-0069, [email protected] (e-mail).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 8, 2010, President Obama signed 
The Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Programming 
Accessibility Act, Public

[[Page 21742]]

Law 111-260, as amended by Public Law 111-265. The Commission hosted a 
Town Hall meeting at the 26th Annual International Technology and 
Persons with Disabilities Conference, hosted by CSUN. The purpose of 
the Town Hall meeting was to educate the public about the Act's 
provisions, and answer consumers' questions regarding the Act. The Town 
Hall meeting was one of the many steps that the Commission has taken to 
obtain public feedback as it implements the Act. The Town Hall meeting 
at CSUN began with an orientation to the CVAA that focused on what the 
CVAA means to consumers with disabilities. The FCC then conducted an 
open dialogue on the Act's provisions, providing an opportunity for 
attendees to express their opinions on ways the FCC can best implement 
the CVAA. For purposes of the Commission's ex parte rules regarding 
permit-but-disclose proceedings (47 CFR 1.1206(b)(2) of the 
Commission's rules), any comments made at the Town Hall on the 
implementation of the CVAA that pertain to the Act's provisions on 
advanced communications services, video description, the deaf-blind 
equipment distribution program, and TRS contributions by VoIP 
providers, were deemed oral ex parte presentations in the pending 
rulemaking proceedings to which they relate. A written transcript of 
the Town Hall meeting (captured from computer-aided real-time 
transcription) was placed in the dockets of the relevant proceedings to 
comply with the disclosure requirements of the ex parte rules. The 
event was free and open to the public.

Synopsis

    The CVAA is designed to ensure that people with disabilities have 
access to emerging twenty-first century communications and video 
programming technologies. The Act seeks to implement many 
recommendations of the National Broadband Plan, and will ensure access 
to advanced communications equipment and services, expand the 
availability of hearing aid compatible telephones used with those 
services, enhance the scope of and contributions to the nation's 
telecommunications relay services, and create an equipment distribution 
program for people who are deaf-blind. In addition, the law will fill 
accessibility gaps in video programming through the provision of video 
description on television and closed captioning on television 
programming re-shown on the Internet, ensure the accessibility of video 
programming devices, and require televised emergency programming to be 
accessible by people who are blind or visually impaired. As it works 
through its implementation of the CVAA, the Commission is collaborating 
closely with consumer and industry stakeholders through two mandated 
advisory committees.

Federal Communications Commission.
Karen Peltz Strauss,
Deputy Chief, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2011-9339 Filed 4-15-11; 8:45 am]
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