Rep. Markey said, "New Internet-based technologies have revolutionized the way Americans interact, learn and conduct business. However the wizardry of the wires and the sophistication of software programs do little for those who cannot affordably access or effectively use them. This bill is an opportunity to ensure that all Americans are offered equal access to these exciting and innovative new technologies."

"This bill will help people with all kinds of disabilities be able to get emergency information by using advances in technology we all take for granted," Rep. Wilson said

The bill would amend the Communications Act to ensure that new Internet-enabled telephone and video services and equipment are accessible to and usable by people with disabilities and closes existing gaps in telecommunications laws. From extending hearing aid compatibility and Internet closed captioning to real-time text support for emergency services, the bill seeks to provide a smooth migration to the next-generation of Internet-based and digital communication technologies.

Robert Davila, President of Gallaudet University, applauded the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act saying that it "will go a long way toward advancing our ongoing struggle to ensure that new communications technologies will be accessible to Gallaudet's students, both while they are engaged in institutional studies and after they enter the job market"

The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) applauded the legislation. Karen Peltz Strauss of Communication Service for the Deaf called the bill a "giant step forward toward bringing the Communication Act's requirements for accessible telephone and television services into this century.  The various provisions of this legislation - which focus on new and innovative ways to communicate and receive information - build on existing federal policies to ensure that people with disabilities can take full advantage of the Internet advancements enjoyed by everyone else."

"To those who claim this bill will be an economic burden on the industry and consumers, I remind them of the arguments raised against hearing aid compatibility or against the closed captioning bill I sponsored and successfully battled to make law in 1990. In that debate, we were told that mandating closed captioning was overly burdensome and would cost a fortune. Today, that law is indispensable and the update this new bill provides will be equally indispensable," added Rep. Markey.

Please click here for a summary and full text of the bill.