HR 3101 Goes Nowhere

Last Thursday, I was very excited about the hearing of the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet on the “Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009” (HR 3101).  The purpose of HR 3101 would be to make telecommunications (including cell phones and Relay services), the Internet (including online videos), and other technologies (including remote controls) more accessible to people with disabilities, particularly Deaf and Blind people.  

The chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Henry Waxman (D-CA) started by saying: “It's time to bring Americans with disabilities across the digital divide” and expressed his desire to get the legislation passed this summer, to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Testimony from witnesses included Sergeant Major Jesse Acosta, a war veteran blinded in combat who represented the American Council of the Blind, and Lise Hamlin, a Deaf-Blind woman representing the Hearing Loss Association of America.  Ms. Hamlin stated that “we want an equal opportunity to benefit from advanced communications technologies.”

Representatives from a number of other companies and organizations were also in attendance to show their support of the bill, including:  Apple, AT&T, Panasonic, the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology, the American Association of People with Disabilities, the National Association of the Deaf, the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, United Cerebral Palsy, the National Federation of the Blind, the Blinded Veterans’ Association, Caption Action 2, VetsFirst, the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, and the Federal Communications Commission’s Disability Rights Office.

Unfortunately, the hearing turned into an ugly case of Republicans attacking Democrats, and in the end nothing was really accomplished at all.  Republicans accused the Democrats in charge of the hearing of “rigging the discussion to favor people with disabilities,” of “creating an emotional setup,” and of “intimidation.”  One Republican representative claimed that he felt “politically slimed” by the Democrats.  Gary Shapiro of the Consumer Electronics Association then blasted HR 3101 with the accusations that it “would not result in more products being accessible or more innovative designs.  Rather, it would result in overly burdensome compliance costs, less variety of products and would hinder United States competitiveness in the global market.”  He also claimed that “mandating universal design is an innovation killer.”

To top it off, Mr. Shapiro criticized the bill in The Washington Times in his op-ed piece entitled “Dems Want to Redesign Your iPhone: Bill Seeks Government Control of Features on Every Internet Device You Use.”  His opening line is:

“Like the look of the new iPhone? Better buy it soon, before the government assumes for itself the power to mandate the features and design of every phone, computer and global positioning system (GPS)—or any other Internet-connected device with a screen.”

WOW.  So now they’re resorting to scare-tactics and partisan blame.  It’s “the Dems” who are going to give The Government unlimited power to take over your iPhone—is he serious?!

Can’t we stay on task here, guys?  This is about making the internet and new technology more accessible to Deaf and Blind people.  Please calm down and stop making everything about Democrats versus Republicans; there are people with disabilities on both sides of the aisle who need and deserve equal access.