Posts tagged ‘FCC’

Netflix To Caption Some Web TV and Movies

The deaf community’s frustration with Netflix may be going away, or at least subsiding for now. Netflix has enabled closed captioning for some TV episodes and movies that you can watch instantly on your PC or Mac, says Neil Hunt, Chief Product Officer at Netflix. Although it’s a limited library of content with subtitles available [...]

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FCC’s Broadband Plan Endorses Accessibility

In a move that has been eagerly anticipated by the disability community, the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday submitted its National Broadband Plan to Congress. The 360-page plan, which lays out a vision for high-speed broadband that’s both affordable and accessible, has wide implications for American with disabilities. Only 65 percent of American households are [...]

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FCC Talks on Broadband for People with Disabilities

The Federal Communications Commission, getting ready to officially present its national broadband plan to Congress next week, is holding a conference in Washington, D.C. — live streamed with open captions — to discuss what needs to be in the plan in order to ensure equal access to high-speed Internet content for people with disabilities. FCC [...]

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Google’s Smart Captioning Move

By Suzanne Robitaille Ah, video and search. Frank Sinatra said it best: Try, try, try to separate them – it’s an illusion. Here’s proof of that: Speech Technology. This week, Google sealed the deal on video search capabilities for its YouTube portal, saying it would provide auto-captions for all of its uploaded videos using proprietary Google’s [...]

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FCC Holds Hearing on Broadband for People with Disabilities

On November 6 the FCC held a Field Hearing on Broadband Access for People with Disabilities at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. The hearing is one of many that will discuss ways to bring access to broadband to the nation’s 54 Americans with disabilities. The meeting included panelists from A.G. Bell, the American Foundation for [...]

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Captioners for the Deaf Are “Unsung Heros”

It didn’t mention Abledbody and I’m not really a Yankees fan, but I got a mention in today’s insightful New York Times article about Cory Macchiarola, the man who is behind the scenes captioning Yankees and Mets’ games for the deaf and hard of hearing. It’s a really tough job, I can imagine. Macchiarola began [...]

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Videophone Program for Deaf Raises Concerns

Free videophone service, which is available across the U.S. 24 hours a day, is a benefit to deaf individuals, but the Federal Communications Commission has raised serious concerns about its price tag. A congressional committee agreed in a report that concluded consumers were overpaying through a surcharge on everyone's long-distance bills.

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