Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010
Latest action. By Senator Rockefeller from Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation filed written report. Report No. 111-386.
Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 - Title I: Communications Access - (Sec. 102) Amends the Communications Act of 1934 (the Act) to require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to require that customer premises equipment provide internal means for effective use with hearing aids that are designed to be compatible with telephones which meet established technical standards for hearing aid compatibility. Describes "customer premises equipment" as: (1) all essential telephones (coin-operated telephones, telephones provided for emergency use, and other telephones frequently needed for use by persons using such hearing aids); (2) all U.S telephones (other than for export) manufactured more than one year after the date of enactment of the Hearing Aid Compatibility Act of 1988 or imported for use in the United States more than one year after such date; and (3) all customer premises equipment used with advanced communications services that is designed to provide two-way voice communication via a built-in speaker intended to be held to the ear in a manner functionally equivalent to a telephone.
(Sec. 103) Defines the term "telecommunications relay services" to mean telephone transmission services that provide the ability for an individual who is deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, or who has a speech disability to engage in communication by wire or radio with one or more individuals, in a manner that is functionally equivalent to the ability of a hearing individual who does not have a speech disability to communicate using voice communication services by wire or radio.
Requires, within one year after the date of enactment of this Act, each interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service provider and each provider of non-interconnected VoIP service to participate in and contribute to the Telecommunications Relay Services Fund.
(Sec. 104) Requires, with respect to equipment manufactured after the effective date of the regulations required under this section: (1) a manufacturer of equipment used for advanced communications services, including end user equipment, network equipment, and software, to ensure that the equipment and software that such manufacturer offers for sale or otherwise distributes in interstate commerce will be accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, unless such requirements are not achievable; and (2) a provider of advanced communications services to ensure that such services offered by such provider in or affecting interstate commerce are accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, unless such requirements of this subsection are not achievable. Requires, whenever the preceding requirements are not achievable, a manufacturer or provider to ensure that its equipment or service is compatible with existing peripheral devices or specialized customer premises equipment commonly used by individuals with disabilities to achieve access, unless such requirement is not achievable.
The summary continues for 22 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Public Law" stage on October 8, 2010. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on December 22, 2010: By Senator Rockefeller from Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation filed written report. Report No. 111-386.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 111th Congress (2009-10), 383 of the 10,778 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.6 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Mark Pryor (D-AR) introduced it on May 4, 2010, and 5 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 4 Democrats, 1 Republican.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 4, 2010, 5973 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 5741 days ago, on December 22, 2010.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 111th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2011 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers