Federal Communications Commission DA 21-1452 DA 21-1452 Released: November 19, 2021 FCC ANNOUNCES FORUM ON IMPROVING ACCESSIBILITY OF ONLINE VIDEO PROGRAMMING Forum will be held on December 2nd and feature remarks from Senator Markey GN Docket No. 21-140 By this Public Notice, the Federal Communications Commission announces a virtual event, the Video Programming Accessibility Forum – Online Closed Captioning on December 2, 2021, from 1:00 pm to 3:45 pm ET. The FCC’s Media Bureau and Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau will co-host the Forum. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel will welcome Forum participants. Senator Ed Markey will deliver keynote remarks. Consumers currently access video programming from providers that range from traditional entities, such as broadcasters and multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), to a growing number of online streaming service providers, including those that operate social media platforms. The Video Programming Accessibility Forum – Online Closed Captioning will explore the state of closed captioning availability for online video programming and discuss ways to enhance accessibility, including the Commission’s authority to adopt new rules.  The Forum also will explore current and prospective best practices and other existing or possible voluntary efforts that could enhance the availability of closed captioning online. The Forum will include two panels that will feature speakers such as television, cable, and online video programming distributors, academics, and consumer advocates.  The full agenda for the Forum is attached. This is a public event and will be streamed live on fcc.gov/live and the FCC’s YouTube channel. We encourage the public and interested stakeholders to engage in this discussion by sending questions during the event to livequestions@fcc.gov. Up-to-date information regarding the Forum can be found on the event page: https://www.fcc.gov/news-events/events/2021/12/video-programming-accessibility-forum-online-closed-captioning. Commission staff will enter information about the panel, including all relevant public notices, the agenda, and a link to a video recording of the event, into the public record for this proceeding. The meeting will be webcast with open captioning and sign language interpreters at www.fcc.gov/live. Additional reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. Include a description of the accommodation you will need and tell us how to contact you if we need more information. Make your request as early as possible. Last minute requests will be accepted but may be impossible to fill. Send an e-mail to: FCC504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice). For further information, contact Diana Sokolow, Diana.Sokolow@fcc.gov, of the Policy Division, Media Bureau, (202) 418-0588, or Joshua Mendelsohn, Joshua.Mendelsohn@fcc.gov, of the Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, (202) 559-7304 (videophone/voice). – FCC – VIDEO PROGRAMMING ACCESSIBILITY FORUM – ONLINE CLOSED CAPTIONING CO-SPONSORED BY THE MEDIA BUREAU AND THE CONSUMER AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS BUREAU December 2, 2021 1:00 pm ET FORUM AGENDA 1:00 pm: Introduction Michelle Carey, Chief, Media Bureau Opening Remarks Jessica Rosenworcel, Chairwoman, FCC Keynote Remarks Edward Markey, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts Agenda Introduction Hillary DeNigro, Deputy Chief, Media Bureau Overview of Relevant FCC Rules Suzy Rosen Singleton, Chief, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau 1:25 pm: PANEL A – Technical and Business Issues Surrounding Online Closed Captioning Opening Remarks and Panel Moderator Eliot Greenwald, Deputy Chief, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Panelists Jim Denney, Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer, Direct-to- Consumer, NBCUniversal Heather Dowdy, Director of Accessibility, Netflix Daniel Kocmarek, General Manager, Global Video Supply Chain and Content Operations, Prime Video, Amazon KR Liu, Head of Brand Accessibility, Google Dr. Christian Vogler, Director, Technology Access Program, Gallaudet University 2:35 pm: Break 2:40 pm: PANEL B – Role of the FCC Opening Remarks and Panel Moderator Diana Sokolow, Attorney Advisor, Policy Division, Media Bureau Panelists Zainab Alkebsi, Policy Counsel, National Association of the Deaf Jacqueline Clary, Vice President & Associate Counsel, Program Network Policy, NCTA – The Internet & Television Association Blake Reid, Clinical Professor, Samuelson-Glushko Technology Law & Policy Clinic at Colorado Law Larry Walke, Associate General Counsel, National Association of Broadcasters 3:40 pm: Closing Remarks Hillary DeNigro, Deputy Chief, Media Bureau 2