Captioning Funds Maintained and CART Rights Clarified
Thanks to lobbying efforts by NCRA and its coalition partner, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Alliance (DHHA), on November 17, 2004, President George W. Bush, signed into law H.R. 1350, legislation to reauthorize the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) through the year 2011. Congress last reauthorized IDEA six years before in 1998.
Petition of Rulemaking Submitted to the FCC
On July 23, 2004, a Petition for Rulemaking was submitted to the FCC regarding the quality of closed captioning of video programming by the Telecommunications for the Deaf, National Association of the Deaf, Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, the Association for Late Deafened Adults, and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network. The petition calls for stricter rules for captioning quality.
Captioning Laws: An Update
by Gary D. Robson
Change used to come slowly to the world of captioning regulation. From the bill that provided funding for Captioned Films for the Deaf in 1959 to the ruling by the Federal Communications Commission where a portion of the TV signal's vertical blanking interval was reserved for closed captioning was 17 years. It was another 14 years before the Television Decoder Circuitry Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act were signed into law. After that, change came more quickly, and the last year has been filled with rulings and legislation.
Congress Approves Appropriation
by Mark Golden
The U.S. Department of Labor/Health and Human Services' new budget that passed the Congress in mid-December includes a $500,000 appropriation for a pilot/demonstration program to train broadcast captioners. This is just the first in what the association hopes will be a series of successes in getting financial aid to fund improvements in court reporting/captioning education.
Mandatory Captioning, Take Two
by Gary D. Robson
Since the FCC's implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 took effect, the FCC has been getting feedback on their rulings. On September 17, 1998, the FCC updated its rulings.
Spanish Captioning: Where it Stands
By Thom Weidlich
As the FCC requirements for Spanish captioning go into effect, several captioning companies have adopted unique approaches to meet the demands of this unique market. Also available in Adobe Acrobat format.