Emergency and Captioning Issues
To: Consumer Contact List
From: Karen Peltz Strauss
Re: Consumer Contact List: Emergency and Captioning Issues
Date: October 3, 2006
1. FCC Emergency Summit. On November 15, 2006, the FCC will hold a summit for the purpose of gathering information on how
best to improve access to emergency services by people with hearing and speech disabilities. Current plans are for the summit
to have 3 panels that will address 1. consumer needs; 2. technical/engineering needs; and 3. short term and long term
solutions. The FCC is now in the process of putting together these panels. Links to the public notice announcing this summit
are listed below.
Released: 09/21/2006. FCC ANNOUNCES E9-1-1 DISABILITY ACCESS SUMMIT.
(DA No. 06-1908). CGB. Contact: Cheryl King at (202) 418-2284, email:
Cheryl.King@fcc.gov
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1908A1.doc>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1908A1.pdf>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1908A1.txt>
2. New Captioning Exemptions and Rules. On September 12, 2006, the FCC issued an order granting two requests for
captioning exemptions for religious programming. The order explained that the FCC is "inclined favorably" to grant new
exemption requests to organizations that do "not receive compensation from video programming distributors from the airing of
[their] programs," and who allege that they "may terminate or substantially curtail [their] programming" or "other activities
important to [their] mission" if forced to caption. The order granting these exemptions is attached. Around the same time
that the FCC released this order, it also exempted approximately 250-300 other religious or non-profit broadcasters. The
exact number remains unclear because these have not been released on public notice. This order also follows an earlier FCC
public notice, released on August 7, 2006, which clarified that certain video programming providers do not need to caption
their emergency programming, so long as they provided visual information about that programming. In that order, the FCC
stated that it would not "second guess" determinations about whether to caption by programming providers regarding their
inability to caption emergency programming, "so long as their determinations were made in good faith." The August public
notice is attached as well.
Sept. 12th order: ANGLERS FOR CHRIST MINISTRIES, INC.; NEW BEGINNING MINISTRIES. Granted two separate petitions for
exemption from the closed captioning requirements for video programming contained in section 79.1 of the Commission's
rules. Action by: Chief, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau.
Adopted: 09/11/2006 by MO&O. (DA No. 06-1802). CGB
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1802A1.doc>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1802A1.pdf>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1802A1.txt>
August 7th Public Notice: CLARIFICATION OF OBLIGATION OF VIDEO PROGRAMMING DISTRIBUTORS TO MAKE EMERGENCY INFORMATION
ACCESSIBLE TO PERSONS WITH HEARING DISABILITIES USING CLOSED CAPTIONING. (DA No. 06-1600). CGB. Contact: Thomas E. Chandler
at (202) 418-1475, email: Thomas.Chandler@fcc.gov, TTY: (202) 418-0597
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1600A1.doc>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1600A1.pdf>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1600A1.txt>
3. New FCC Bureau. The FCC has formally established a new bureau, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. The goal
of the bureau, as stated by FCC Chairman Martin, is to provide a single bureau for the development of rules and policies "to
promote reliable communications for public safety, national security and disaster management." Links to the FCC's
public notice announcing the new bureau are listed below.
FCC ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU. News Release. News Media Contact: Robert Kenny at
(202) 418-2668 PSHSB
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-267599A1.doc>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-267599A2.doc>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-267599A3.doc>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-267599A4.doc>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-267599A5.doc>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-267599A1.pdf>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-267599A2.pdf>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-267599A3.pdf>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-267599A4.pdf>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-267599A5.pdf>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-267599A1.txt>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-267599A2.txt>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-267599A3.txt>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-267599A4.txt>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-267599A5.txt>
This page last updated:October 15, 2006
Back to home page |