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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: News Media contact:
November 18, 1999 David Fiske: (202) 418-0500
FCC Proposes Major Market TV Broadcasters and Program Distributors
Introduce Video Description for Persons with Visual Disabilities
Washington * November 18: The FCC today proposed that commercial
television broadcasters in the top 25 television markets, and the largest
national video programming distributors, introduce video descriptions in
their transmissions to allow Americans with visual disabilities to better
follow the visual action in television programs.
Video description involves the insertion into a TV program of narrated
descriptions of settings and actions that are not otherwise reflected in
the dialogue, such as the movement of a person in the scene. Video
description is typically provided through the use of the Secondary Audio
Programming (SAP) channel so that it is audible only when that channel is
activated through a TV set or a VCR with SAP capability.
In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued today, the FCC asked for
comment on a proposal that the initial video description rules should
require that broadcasters affiliated with the ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC
networks in the top 25 television markets (as determined by the Nielsen
Designated Market Areas, DMA, rankings) provide a minimum of 50 hours per
calendar quarter (roughly four hours per week) of described prime time
and/or children*s programming no later than 18 months from the effective
date of its video description rules. It also asked for comment on
requiring the larger video programming distributors to carry the
described programming of the broadcasters affiliated with the top 4
networks, and of nonbroadcast networks that reach 50% or more of MVPD
households.
The Commission said video description would make television programming
more accessible to the more than eight to twelve million persons with
visual disabilities that cannot be corrected with ordinary glasses or
contact lenses. It said that since television programming is the
principal source of news and information and provides hours of
entertainment every week to American homes, visual description would
eliminate the difficulties that persons with visual disabilities have
with following the visual action in this programming.
The Commission said that video description could also benefit the one
and a half million children between the ages of 6 and 14 with learning
disabilities by capturing their attention and enhancing their information
processing skills. It also said there could be a secondary audience for
persons without disabilities who are doing several things at once, who
need to attend to something during a program, or who leave the room
during a program.
Today*s rulemaking proposal follows two earlier FCC studies of video
description: a July 1996 report following a Notice of Inquiry on closed
captioning and video description; and a January 1998 report that was
included in the FCC*s annual report to Congress on competition in the
market for video programming. 1
The Commission said that the proposed video description rules are
generally modeled after existing closed captioning rules, but that
because video description technology is not as developed as closed
captioning technology, it would proceed incrementally to implement video
description requirements so as to not impose a significant burden on
video programming distributors.
In the NPRM, the Commission noted that public television stations have
been airing video description programming for more than a decade, and
said that the WGBH Descriptive Video Service has described more than 1600
PBS programs, including daily, weekly and special programming. However,
the Commission said that since few commercial broadcasters or cable
systems have provided described programming, less than 1% of all
television programming contains video description.
In the NPRM, the Commission said that it is proposing to initially limit
video description rules to analog broadcasters, but that it intended to
apply the requirements to digital broadcasters in the future. It said
that the flexibility inherent in digital technology may make the
provision of video description even easier and less costly. However, it
said that the conversion from analog to digital television broadcasting
is currently in transition and that it did not wish to wait for the
digital transition to be complete before adopting video description
requirements.
The Commission also asked for comment on eventually applying video
description rules to all video programming distributors, including TV
broadcast stations, cable operators, direct broadcast satellite
operators, home satellite dish providers, open video system operators,
satellite master antenna television operators, and wireless cable
operators using channels in the multichannel multipoint distribution
service. It said this could enhance the availability of the service and
provide a level playing field among distributors.
The Commission reiterated its goal of maximizing video description
benefits to persons with visual disabilities without imposing an undue
burden, and it asked for comments on the costs of video description,
including the cost of upgrading equipment.
The Commission noted that the Secondary Audio Channel is used in some
markets for Spanish and other foreign language audio, and it asked for
comments on whether this could conflict with the implementation of video
description, and if so, how to prevent or minimize the problem. The
Commission also asked for comments on how emergency public safety
messages, that scroll across the TV screen, could be accessible to
persons with visual disabilities.
Action by the Commission November 18, 1999, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
(FCC 99-XXX) Chairman Kennard, Commissioners Ness, Furchtgott-Roth,
Powell and Tristani.
MM Docket No. 99-.XXXX
- FCC -
Mass Media Bureau Contact: Eric Bash (202) 418-2130; TTY (202) 418-1169
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