CNet Newsblog reported today that Congressman Edward Markey (Democrat, Massachusetts) is working on a bill to require communications services providers and device manufacturers to provide for disability-friendly internet phones and video.

Telecommunications companies would be required to make their services compatible with hearing aids and telecommunications relay services, just like traditional phone operators. Also, the bill would require support of standard "real-time text" communication, an interactive data transmission method that replicates the feel of voice conversations more closely than instant messaging.

Manufacturers of gadgets that receive or display video programming, would have to equip their devices with the ability to decode and display closed captions, to deliver "video description" services (oral narration for the blind and visually-impaired), and to present typical ticker-style emergency messages in a way that's accessible to the blind and visually impaired.

Additionally, on-screen menus would have to be accessible in real-time to individuals with disabilities, and all remote controls would have to contain a "conspicuous" button for activating closed captioning.

Read the full coverage and reader comments on CNet Newsblog at the following link:

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9933597-7.html?tag=nefd.top