Democrat wants to require disability-friendly Internet phones, video

Most TVs and telephones must be outfitted with special features for people with hearing, vision, and speech impairments under U.S. law. But House Telecommunications Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA) wants to expand those requirements to their Internet counterparts. At a hearing Thursday, discussion began on a bill Chairman Markey is drafting that would require, at least in some cases, dramatic changes in the way Internet phone- and video-related products are designed, while making it more difficult than under existing law for companies to claim exemptions from those requirements. "The wizardry of the wires and the sophistication of the software programs do little for those who cannot affordably access or effectively use them," Chairman Markey said. "Our job as policymakers is to help ensure such affordable access and utilization, and this is what the draft legislation I have circulated is intended to do." Democrats on the committee generally seemed to support Markey's plans, voicing concern about excluding people with disabilities from new technologies. Some Republicans, however, said that although they shared Markey's goals, they were skeptical about the need for new legislation. House Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) said, "In my experience, if we simply ask the innovators and engineers to ensure that technologies are designed to include all persons, no matter how they communicate, they are up to the task."
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9933597-7.html?tag=nefd.top

Markey: Broadband-Based Tech Must Be Accessible for Persons with Disabilities
http://markey.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3335&Itemid=1

Chairman Dingell
http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_110/110st156.shtml