To: Consumer Contact List
From: Karen Peltz Strauss
Re: Consumer Contact List: Happy New Year and many other issues
Date: January 2, 2006

HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone! This year brings with it a new milestone: 100% CLOSED CAPTIONING ON ALL NEW TELEVISION PROGRAMS!! Although there are few exemptions to this rule (short advertisements, overnight programming, non-repeat local programming, foreign language programming other than Spanish), and although consumers are still trying to significantly improve captioning quality, the United States has now become a world leader in the provision of closed captioning television.

The New Year also brings with it a number of FCC proceedings inviting consumer comment. Specifically, in the coming weeks, the following are due:

January 17, 2006: Reply comments on petition for rulemaking to mandate captioned telephone and approve Internet captioned telephone service.

January 24, 2006: Comments on further notice of proposed rulemaking on ensuring disability access to the nation's emergency alert system.

In addition to the above, comments will soon be due on the FCC's notice of proposed rulemaking to require video relay and Internet relay providers to handle emergency calls. I will post the comment date as soon as it is set.

Other news:

VRS Uniform Numbering - The North American Numbering Council (NANC) will be considering whether to take up the issue of uniform numbering for video relay services at its next meeting, to be held on January 24, 2006. NANC is a federal advisory committee of the FCC. The meeting will be held at the FCC's meeting room, at 445 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. The URL for the meeting notice/agenda is listed below.

Released: 12/21/2005. FCC ANNOUNCES THE NEXT MEETING OF THE NORTH AMERICAN NUMBERING COUNCIL. (DA No. 05-3172). (Dkt No 92-237). WCB. Contact: Deborah Blue at (202) 418-1466 email: Deborah.Blue@fcc.gov, TTY: (202) 418-0484
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-3172A1.doc>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-3172A1.pdf>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-3172A1.txt>

Requests for Closed Captioning Exemptions - The following entities have petitioned the FCC for exemptions from the closed captioning rules:

Released: 12/20/2005. CONSUMER & GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS BUREAU ACTION, REQUEST FOR EXEMPTION FROM COMMISSION'S CLOSED CAPTIONING RULES, CGB-CC-0009. (DA No. 05-3240). CGB. Contact: Traci Randolph at (202) 418-0569, traci.randolph@fcc.gov
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-3240A1.doc>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-3240A1.pdf>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-3240A1.txt>

Released: 12/20/2005. CONSUMER & GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS BUREAU ACTION, REQUEST FOR EXEMPTION FROM COMMISSION'S CLOSED CAPTIONING RULES, CGB-CC-0007. (DA No. 05-3239). CGB. Contact: Traci Randolph at (202) 418-0569, traci.randolph@fcc.gov TTY: (202) 418-7804
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-3239A1.doc>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-3239A1.pdf>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-3239A1.txt>

Released: 12/22/2005. CONSUMER & GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS BUREAU ACTION, REQUEST FOR EXEMPTION FROM COMMISSION'S CLOSED CAPTIONING RULES, CGB-CC-0051. (DA No. 05-3275). CGB. Contact: Traci Randolph at (202)418-0569, email: Traci.Randolph@fcc.gov, TTY: (202)418-0537
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-3275A1.doc>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-3275A1.pdf>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-3275A1.txt>