Ed’s Telecom Alert

All..

Now what remains is for President to ink it to become the law.   It provides access for the blind as well as for deaf/hoh. 

Congress Votes

Quotable quotes: 

"iPhones and Blackberrys will have to be compatible with hearing aids under legislation Congress has sent to the president."

"Require that video programming devices such as MP3 players and digital video recorders be capable of closed captioning and video description."

"Provide the deaf with the ability to watch new TV programs online with captions included."

eyes open & thumbs up,

Ed

Long Link: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/09/30/congress_votes_to_give_disabled_better_web_tv_access/

All..

PN EB and Purple News

Consent Degree

I will not do quotable quotes as these are self-sufficient.  

eyes open & thumbs up,

Ed

Long Links:

Public News: http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2010/db0920/DOC-301517A1.pdf

Consent Degree: http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2010/db0920/DA-10-1734A1.pdf

Folks..

Canada Association of the Deaf submits comments that question the validity of comments from Government of Canada regarding call center in Canada to provide VRS in the USA.

CAD Comment

Quotable quotes: 

"We represent Canada’s estimated 310,000 linguistically and culturally Deaf persons. We are entirely controlled and operated by the grassroots Deaf community: we are the Deaf."

"..whether it was in fact a courtesy letter supplied by a member of the civil service at the request of one of the VRS providers who suggested its contents."

"No consultation took place between the stakeholder groups, such as the CAD, and either the Government of Canada, the Embassy, or the Second Secretary in the writing of this document. It is not a consumer-informed document."

Finally, conclusion by CAD:

"The Commission, in its considerations, should therefore give due weight to the facts that: (i) the comment filed by the Government of Canada appears to have been submitted by one person of no apparent authority and without the prior approval of his superiors; (ii) it was filed by a department with no expertise in or jurisdiction over telecommunications matters; (iii) it was filed without UNCRPD-mandated consultation with a national Deaf consumers body; (iv) it opposes in fundamental respects the comments submitted on behalf of Canada’s 310,000 Deaf people by their own organization, the Canadian Association of the Deaf."

Whew – convincingly comments these.  

eyes open & thumbs up,

Ed

Long Link:  http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7020912559

All..

Hey – Kudos to the American Society for Deaf Children in commenting that hearing persons should be given 10 digit phone number so they can communicate with individuals who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. 

Society Comment

Quotable quotes: 

"It is critical that all individuals, including hearing individuals, be able to obtain ten-digit numbers for the purpose of communicating with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing or who have a speech disability who use videophones.
eyes open & thumbs up,"

"It is estimated that more than 93% of deaf and hard of hearing children have hearing parents. It is essential that as their child grows, attends college, moves into their own homes, etc. that parents have the ability to continue direct communication with their child."

"The fact that parents must use an interpreter to communicate with their children, who may not be living with the parents, when the family has the ability and skills to have direct communication is appalling."

Last paragraph, I absolutely agree.   Oh, don’t get me wrong.   I love interpreters and use them extensively.  I have used them for my hearing children; however, I must say direct video conference is clearly lot better.   I use OOVOO to communicate with my son who is now in Dallas attending an University. 

eyes open & thumbs up, 

Ed

Long lInk: http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7020911712