Blog - Regulation

United States map with nine red dots on different places. The audio description symbol appears on the left, over the map. It is formed by the letters "AD" and three arches to the right of the D.
 

The Federal Communications Commission will be discussing on April 23rd a proposal on expanding audio description* requirements for up to 10 additional designated market areas (DMAs) each year, for 4 years, starting on January 1, 2021. The proposed expansion would help ensure that a greater number of individuals who are blind or visually impaired can be connected, informed, and entertained by television programming.

Facade of gray building with a colonnade of 10 round 30 feet tall columns. Along the facade, over the columns, carved is the phrase "Massachusetts Institute of Technology". A dome sits atop the building.
 

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) announced on February 18th a "landmark settlement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)" similar to one reached with Harvard University last November.

A gavel rests on a keyboard. On the upper right corner, the letters CC float
 

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) announced on November 27th a "landmark settlement with Harvard University that institutes a series of new guidelines to make the university's website and online resources accessible for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

FCC web form for express comments
 

If you are a user of captions, remember that you can always send your comments about problems with captioned programs to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

A woman points a remote control toward a TV.
 

Last month, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published a NBCUniversal petition for a limited waiver of video description requirements on behalf of USA Network (USA), owned by NBCUniversal.

Image outdoors. A woman with a coat holds a microphone and interviews a man. A city in the background,
 

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will host a forum regarding the use of Enhanced Electronic Newsroom Technique (ENT) procedures for live captioning of local news programs. The forum will be on Friday, May 10, 2019, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., Eastern Time. It will be webcast with open captioning at www.fcc.gov/live.

A microphone pointing up and to the right. The letters AD that indicate audio description appear on the the bottom right.
 

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is preparing a report to Congress to inform about the availability, use, benefits and cost of video description. The Commission is asking TV stations and broadcast networks, multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), providers of video description, consumers of video description and anybody related to this topic to provide their feedback.

Headshot of Maria Diaz smiling. She has long brown her, dark brown eyes and tan ski.
 

We are honored to have Maria Victoria Diaz, Dicapta's President, appointed for a second term with the FCC's Disability Advisory Committee (DAC). The DAC provides advice and recommendations to the Commission on a wide array of disability matters specified by the Federal Communications Commission.

The word "accessible" on a laptop screen
 

G3ict The Global Initiative for Inclusive Accessibility of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTS) released its Digital Accessibility Rights Evaluation (DARE) Index 2017-2018 last month. The index measures the progress made by the 177 countries, that signed the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), in promoting and implementing digital accessibility.