May 14, 2010. Consumers can now search the recently launched FCC searchable database for contact information at TV companies for closed captioning concerns and complaints. The information in the database is required by the FCC from the video programming distributors, that is, the TV stations, cable TV, satellite TV, and phone company TV service providers. These TV distributors must provide a name, phone number and email address. There are no exemptions to provision of this information. Also, the changes to the closed captioning rules that were adopted by the Commission on November 3, 2008, are now effective. Please review the Closed Captioning Factsheet for an explanation of the revised complaint process. I.e., complaints can now be filed at the FCC or with the distributor, no need to contact TV distributor first! Read more: Tips on Filing Captioning Complaints. File Complaint using FCC online form.

It's so easy, even a cave woman could do it!

Reprinted with permission of COAT http://www.coataccess.org/node/8615

On Friday, February 19, 2010, HLAA along with other consumer and industry representatives attended a meeting of the Digital Closed Captioning & Video Description Technical Working Group. This Working Group is hosted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to tackle the problems consumers have seen with closed captioning in a DTV world. Read the whole article.

Friday, July 31st, NTIA will stop accepting coupon applications and appeals. While the transition to digital was completed on June 12, there are a number of households that remain unready – they are not receiving pictures or sound. The TV Converter Box Coupon Program is still accepting coupon applications and appeals, but only until midnight on July 31, 2009, so households must act immediately. NTIA continues its outreach to those who still need help to keep their older analog televisions working, and we are hoping you can make sure your networks are aware of this impending deadline by forwarding the information below, talking to consumers about it or posting it in public places. Friday July 31st is the Last Day to Apply or Appeal for TV Converter Box Coupons!

If you are still not DTV-ready, it’s not too late. Help is still available, but you must take action immediately. Eligible households may continue to apply or re-apply for TV converter box coupons. Applications for coupons are accepted online at https://www.dtv2009.gov/ApplyCoupon.aspx, by phone at 1-888-388-2009 (1-888-DTV-2009), by mail and by fax. Mailed applications must be post-marked no later than midnight on July 31, 2009. It typically takes nine business days to process and mail coupons. If you have applied for coupons, but not yet received them, check the status of your request on www.DTV2009.gov by selecting “Check Your Application Status.”

Appeals for Denied Coupon Applications. The last day to file an appeal is midnight on July 31, 2009. If you apply for coupons through the Web site, and the application is denied, there is a link within the denial message to appeal. Filing an appeal at https://www.dtv2009.gov/Appeal.aspx via the website is the quickest way for the Coupon Program to process and respond to appeals. If you wish to provide additional detail beyond the space provided, you may submit your appeal in writing or by e-mail. For instance, if you encountered transportation difficulties due to disability, didn’t notice receipt of the coupon due to disability, and it expired, or you just now learned about the transition and your options,, etc.

Coupons Can Be Used Until They Expire. Even though the last day to apply for coupons is July 31, 2009, you can use your coupons at participating retailers until they expire. Call ahead to area retail stores to confirm availability of coupon-eligible converter boxes on the day you plan to shop. Coupon-eligible converter boxes also may be purchased online or by telephone and shipped directly to your home.

Digital TV Day arrived Friday June 12. We have learned that the CSD DTV Help Center “rocked” – they received 1,600 calls, brisk email volume and a huge bump in web hits! The FCC reported a record 317,450 consumers called the FCC’s toll-free help line, 1-888-CALL-FCC, for a total of almost 700,000 from June 8 through 12. The CSD Help Center is definitely in the “mix” experiencing similar call volume.

HLAA is partnering with CSD until June 30 to help people with hearing loss manage the transition. If you have problems with the transition, contact CSD at http://dtv.c-s-d.org. And don’t forget to take the captioning survey at http://dtv.c-s-d.org/help/survey/pages/survey.aspx?sid=4. As of June 12, the captioning survey tally was at 1,900. CSD is expecting to collect more surveys at their booth this week at the HLAA Convention in Nashville (June 18-21). If you’re planning to be there, stop by the CSD booth.

Thanks to Cheryl Heppner, executive director of NVRC, whose report in the NVRC News we relied on heavily for this story.

HLAA attended the first meeting of the new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Technical Working Group to Study Closed Captioning and Video Description Issues was held May 18, 2009. The Working Group was established to conduct an assessment of closed captioning and video description technical issues associated with the switch to digital television and recommend solutions to any technical problems.

This Working Group is composed of: consumers Cheryl Heppner representing NVRC , Karen Peltz Strauss for the FCC Consumer Advisory Committee, and Eric Bridges for American Council for the Blind; industry representatives from a broad cross-section of those who have a role in solving captioning and video description challenges -- broadcast networks, cable companies, trade organizations, captioning and video description providers, television and consumer electronic equipment manufacturers, and captioning equipment manufacturers; and FCC staff Co-Chairs of the working group are Catherine Seidel, head of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau and Julius Knapp, Chief of the Office of Engineering and Technology.

Acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps gave remarks at the opening of the working group meeting. He called the establishment of the working group “a no brainer” and traced its impetus to numerous requests by the FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee and consumer organizations. His presentation was followed by words from Michael Jacobs of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Cathy Seidel and Julius Knapp. They encouraged the identification of issues and proposal of solutions, creation of a clearing house for information, and an open process to diagnose problems.

Chris Soukup of CSD provided a brief presentation on the activities of the Digital TV Help Center launched in February 2009 under a contract with the FCC to assist deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind and speech-disabled consumers as well as hearing relatives and friends of these consumers. Then Dana Mulvany, a long-time consumer advocate on captioning issues, gave a presentation that touched on numerous issues such as the standard for transmission of closed captioning data and how different stations handle closed captioning problems. She spoke from personal experience about the difficulty in identifying the source of a captioning problem and provided concrete examples of how sometimes even the local engineers have trouble identifying the source of the problem.

The agenda provided time for open forum for questions from consumers, at which time HLAA, NAD and others in the audience took advantage of the opportunity to provide feedback to and pose questions of the Working Group. At the end of the day, four subcommittees to address closed captioning areas were set up:

1. Development of a form to diagnose captioning problems.
2. Lessons learned from solving captioning problems and “unsolved mysteries”
3. Consumer focus group (to look at information available and improvements to make complex things simple)
4. The HD connection (HDMI, Blu-Ray, other consumer equipment) – finding explanations for what is going on and coming back with potential solutions.

HLAA is represented on the Federal Communication Commission’s Consumer Advisory Committee. Recently the CAC made the following recommendations regarding closed captioning and video description for digital television.

FCC DTV Closed Captioning and Video Description Task Force
The following is a proposal for a FCC DTV Closed Captioning and Video Description Task Force (DTV CC & VD Task Force), to be created under the auspices of the FCC, that will enable the Commission to take a leadership role in ensuring continued access to closed captions and video description as our nation transitions from analog to digital television. The purpose of the task force will be to conduct an assessment of closed captioning and video description problems associated with DTV and to work with the FCC to find and disseminate solutions. Specifically, the task force will:

• Identify current and anticipated problems with the transmission and display of digital closed captions and video description;
• Evaluate the closed captioning and video description capabilities of digital equipment; and
• Develop solutions to ensure that closed captions and video description are passed through intact to the consumer.

Several new DTV related publications available from www.dtv.gov

DTV Delay
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/dtvdelay.pdf

Dialing advisory
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/usecarewhencalling.pdf

Remember to rescan
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/rescan.pdf

Antennas & digital TV
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/dtvantennas.pdf

WASHINGTON – Today [2/11/2009], President Barack Obama signed S.352, a bill to postpone the DTV transition date to June 12th to allow for more time for the American consumers to prepare for the switch from analog television.

"During these challenging economic times, the needs of American consumers are a top priority of my administration. This law, which was crafted in a bipartisan way and passed overwhelmingly in the House and Senate, ensures that our citizens will have more time to prepare for the conversion. Millions of Americans, including those in our most vulnerable communities, would have been left in the dark if the conversion had gone on as planned, and this solution is an important step forward as we work to get the nation ready for digital TV. My administration will continue to work with leaders in Congress, broadcasters, consumer groups and the telecommunications industry to improve the information and assistance available to our citizens in advance of June 12."

Congress acted quickly on the recommendation of the Obama Administration to delay the transition to digital television. Originally set for February 17, 2009, Congress became concerned that the national wasn’t prepared for the transition.

• The legislation would delay the transition to June 12, 2009
• The Coupon program would also be extended to July 12, 2009
• Expired coupons: permits households to reapply for up to two coupons that expired

The Hearing Loss Association of America applauds president-elect Barack Obama for urging Congress to delay the deadline for television to go digital. The president-elect clearly understands the potential for huge problems with this complex transition. However, simply moving the deadline for the transition will not help unless it is coupled with a well thought out plan, a timeline and the resources to carry it out.

“HLAA has watched as the FCC with the help of broadcasters has worked to educate Americans about the DTV transition and have in fact gotten the word out to many Americans,” noted executive director Brenda Battat. “We don’t need a delay to push out the same message over and over. We need the FCC to pull together a transparent plan and a timeline to ensure vulnerable people get the support they need once the transition becomes a reality.”

Seniors with hearing loss are a particularly vulnerable population: they are often unsure about new technology, yet many are dependant on captioned television as their main source of information, especially in emergencies. HLAA expressed concern that broadcasters, manufacturers and service providers may not be ready to deliver signals and equipment that are capable of decoding captions for the 36 million Americans with hearing loss. HLAA noted that those people who have already installed digital TV’s or converter boxes have found that receiving their captions has been a hit or miss affair, with the misses frustratingly frequent.

“We need to be sure that whatever money Congress decides to pour into this project will be used for the benefit of those who most need it: seniors, people with disabilities and people in rural areas.” said Lise Hamlin, HLAA director of public policy. “That calls for a well thought out, comprehensive plan and time line with very specific goals. We see the need for:

• call centers with staff trained to understand the needs of seniors with hearing loss
• installation, testing and monitoring of equipment by broadcasters to ensure they are sending out signals with captions that can be decoded by the equipment the consumers are using
• education of satellite and cable company staff to ensure not only that the signal they send contains the captions that are decodable, but have technicians who install their own systems to also know how to set up captions on digital televisions
• manufacturers who build equipment that not only allows decoding of captions on their television, but will also work with older equipment like DVD players or VCR’s and provide manuals that explain how captions can be set up on their own equipment”

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the re-chartering and re-appointment of members to its Consumer Advisory Committee, a federal advisory committee that addresses consumer issues within the jurisdiction of the Commission.

The CAC will focus on the digital transition, consumer protection and education, access by people with disabilities, and impact upon consumers of new and emerging technologies.

For more information:

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-08-2817A1.pdf

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-08-2817A1.doc

Thanks to Cheryl Heppner at Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Persons, we learned that at least one manufacturer of converter boxes, LG Electronics’ Zenith unit has produced an online video on the digital television transition to help consumers properly install their new TV converter boxes.

The online video is open captioned! http://www.zenith.com/dtv/setup.html

Hearing Loss Association of America and Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Inc. representatives Lise Hamlin and Claude Stout were thrilled to be part of the Federal Communication’s digital television event focusing on captioning and targeting the community of deaf and hard of hearing people in North Carolina August 26. With over 50 consumers present as well as representatives from local broadcast stations, it was a great success. Thanks to a generous donation by Zenith, HLAA and TDI were there helping with a model presentation for other parts of the country as the digital television transition approaches. Read the whole story