TDI-L eNote 9/18/06
ACTION ALERT – Tell the FCC You Have the Right to Access Captioning for
Local Religious TV Programs
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
TDI wants to thank you for sending letters to the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) last month regarding their actions on TV emergency
captioning. TDI received copies of more than 200 letters from you who
took the time during your work schedule or vacation to send a letter to
the FCC. That was true democracy in action!
However, TDI NEEDS YOUR HELP ONCE MORE! Do you like to watch outdoor
shows to get ideas for your next hunting or fishing trip? Do you like to
watch religious programs from your local group for your own spiritual
needs? Are they captioned? Most likely, not. And thanks to a recent
decision by the FCC, many of those shows may never be captioned even
though 100% of all new programs are required to be captioned.
On September 12, 2006, decisions by the FCC have undermined our rights
as television viewers who rely on captioning by granting an exemption to
two nonprofit video producers, Anglers for Christ Ministries (Anglers)
and New Beginning Ministries (New Beginnings). In their requests for
“undue burden” waivers, Anglers and New Beginnings threatened to stop
producing their shows if they were forced to caption. These producers
claim they do not earn any money from airing these shows and apparently
there were no extensive cost-benefit analysis done by the program
petitioners nor the FCC. Anglers produces “Reel Kids in the Outdoors",
an all-volunteer faith-based outdoor fishing show for children. New
Beginnings pay Christian Television Network $750 each week for airing
“In His Image” on that network.
The FCC has tentatively concluded that it will be inclined to grant
waiver petitions when a nonprofit organization that does not receive
compensation from airing its programming seeks an exemption to prevent
termination or substantial reductions in its programming. TDI
respectfully disagrees with the FCC. Producers are still financially
able to put together the TV programs for on-air broadcast, cable or
satellite. Therefore, they must be held accountable to make their
programs accessible to people with disabilities.
Up until last week, TDI has led joint efforts with other national
organizations to evaluate and oppose the requests for waiver where
justified. On a case-by-case basis, the FCC denied waivers for many of
those video programs. A few programmers did receive TEMPORARY waivers.
But this time, the FCC changed their position and procedures, thus
choosing not to consider TDI’s feedback in support of your rights for
the first time in years. In addition to those two programs, all at once,
nearly 300 additional programs were also given permanent waivers. We
need to tell the FCC to rescind these waivers NOW. If we do not do
anything, it is possible that there will be further cutbacks in
captioning, especially on your local outdoor or religious programs.
Unless we speak up, more and more programs may be excused from
captioning for good - PERMANENTLY.
TDI wants all of you to write letters to the FCC again. We feel that
this latest action by the FCC will severely impair our access to
television. Hunting and fishing shows routinely include safety tips for
new hunters and fishermen, but if they are not captioned, your life is
at risk. Religious shows bring diversity of views and spiritual
enrichment to a significant part of the community that follow their
beliefs. All programmers, large and small must be required to caption.
We cannot rely on industry to do it voluntarily. Now we cannot rely on
the government to enforce its own laws without adding adverse
regulations and not have the benefit and due process of public notice.
PLEASE WRITE A LETTER TO THE FCC and tell them to rescind the
announcement regarding captioning waivers issued on 9/13/06. Share this
email alert with your friends. We need more of you to write to the FCC
this time and complain about the waivers. If you know the
from your state and the
them a copy of your letter.
Please send an email or call the FCC as follows:
TO:
- FCC Information email
fccinfo@fcc.gov
- Chairman Kevin J. Martin
Kevin.Martin@fcc.gov (202) 418-1000
- Commissioner Michael J. Copps
Michael.Copps@fcc.gov (202) 418-2000
- Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein
Jonathan.Adelstein@fcc.gov (202) 418-2300
- Commissioner Deborah Taylor-Tate
Deborah.Tate@fcc.gov (202) 418-2500
- Commissioner Robert M. McDowell
Robert.McDowell@fcc.gov (202) 418-2200
CC:
- Monica Desai, Chief, Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Monica.Desai@fcc.gov (202) 418-1400
- Jay Keithley, Deputy Chief (Policy) Consumer & Governmental Affairs
Bureau
Jay.Keithley@fcc.gov
- Tom Chandler, Chief, Disability Rights Office
Tom.Chandler@fcc.gov
- Cheryl King. Deputy Chief, Disability Rights Office
Cheryl.King@fcc.gov
- Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc.
info@tdi-online.org
-
-
-
The FCC mailing address and fax number is:
Federal Communications Commission
FAX: Attn: Chairman Martin
(202) 418-0232
Feel free to copy this sample letter below and add your personal part in
the letter. If you know of any locally produced outdoor or religious
shows that ARE captioned, please to mention it in your letter.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
September 18, 2006
Kevin J. Martin, Chairman
Michael J. Copps, Commissioner
Jonathan S. Adelstein, Commissioner
Deborah Taylor Tate, Commissioner
Robert M. McDowell, Commissioner
Dear Commissioners,
This is to let you know that I fully support the action alerts from TDI
and other national organizations to oppose the decisions taken by the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on September 12, 2006. We
respectfully ask that the FCC reverse its September 12, 2006 decisions
regarding television captioning waivers.
Churches make up a very important part of every community. It is within
their mission to support the basic needs of all people within their
reach. When Hurricane Katrina struck the
were among the first to offer help with shelter, food, and other
assistance to the survivors. Captioning TV programs does meet a
legitimate basic need for access to information just like building a
ramp to the church door. By providing captions to meet the needs of a
significant population group, the churches will find themselves with an
expanded TV viewership, which will lead to an increase in their
membership and other support from the community. When children and
adults are able to read captions on spiritual programs, they are
influenced to live up to high moral standards and contribute their part
to the community. Hearing loss is the number one growing disability
among senior citizens – they will find themselves depending on
captioning to listen to the message.
We want to participate fully in all programs and services at our local
church because it serves as a vital resource that empowers us to be
fully integrated in the community. If one of us who are deaf or hard of
hearing sees the services with captions on TV, we can interact with
other church members, neighbors, fellow employees, family members, and
service professionals in the local community. We stand to benefit from
the "local connection" that national religious programs are unable to
provide.
We know that all video programmers have had ten years to prepare for the
captioning regulations now in place, and temporary waivers when
appropriate. When you give full permanent exemptions to the two
programmers, it reverses all the access we have worked on for years. We
ask that programmers consider other possible revenue options such as
sponsorships, long-term captioning service agreements, and aftermarket
sales (videotapes or DVDs) to cover and minimize the cost of captioning.
Or, they can reduce other expenses in their production budgets to enable
the provision of captioning.
Closed captioning gives me a) access to news that is indispensible to
the community, b) entertainment that is an integral part of our lives,
and c) education that paves the way for us to become self-sufficient in
society. The information that everyone in the community receives is also
important to me and I can only get it if it is captioned.
Thank you for your consideration,
Sincerely,
(your name)
(home address)
(home city, state & zip code)
(email address.)
cc:
Monica Desai, Chief, Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Jay Keithley, Deputy Chief (Policy), Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Tom Chandler, Chief, Disability Rights Office
Cheryl King, Deputy Chief, Disability Rights Office
Your US Senator and/or US Congressman
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
For more information about:
FCC’s captioning regulations and exemptions:
www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/caption.html
DHHCAN 2006 Captioning Guide:
www.nvrc.org/content.aspx?page=10938§ion=5
The 9/13/06 announcement:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1802A1.doc
Sincerely,
Jim House
Public Relations & Resource Development Officer
Telecommunications for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing,Inc.