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The Honorable Tom Wheeler 
Chairman 
WASHINGTON, DC 20510 
December 6, 2013 
Federal Communications Commission 
445 12th Street, S.W. 
Washington, D.C. 20554 
Dear Chairman Wheeler: 
As authors of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 
2010 (CV AA), we are writing to express our support for the Federal Communications 
Commission (FCC) reconsidering its decision to exempt video clips from the IP closed 
captioning rules. 
On June 14, 2013, the Commission issued an order directing the Media Bureau to issue a 
Public Noti~e seeking information on the industry's progress in captioning IP delivered 
vide9 dip~:;·~e FCC's actions follow an April 27, 2012, petition for reconsideration 
filed by or-&anizations representing individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing, asking 
the Collllllisston to reconsider its decision regarding video clips. We support 
reconsiderat'ion and hope that upon review, the Commission reaches a decision that 
reflects the Congressional intent behind the law. 
When we wrote the CVAA, it was our intent that full- length programming that has been 
broadcast on television with captions after the efTective date of the Commission's rule be 
shown with captions when the programming is delivered using IP even if such 
programming is shown on the Internet in segments and even when some but not all 
segments are posted online. As we explained in our January 10, 2012, letter to the 
Commission, the references to the terms "full-length programming" and "video clips" in 
the CV AA's legislative history were intended to clarify that the CV AA does not apply to 
certain types of video programming already exempt from the Commission's television 
captioning rules, such as advertisements and promotional announcements. 
Upon exempting video clips from coverage under the CV AA last year, the Commission 
acknowledged that it may need to reconsider this exemption "if it finds that consumers 
who are deaf or hard of hearing are not getting access to critical areas of programming, 
such as news, because of the way the programming is posted." Unfortunately, recent 
findings reveal that this decision is already resulting in the denial of significant civic, 
educational and entertainment opportunities to millions of Americans with disabilities. 
The Honorable Tom Wheeler 
December 6, 2013 
Page 2 of2 
A May 16, 2013, report from the deaf and hard of hearing organizations on the state of 
IP-delivered video programming found that a substantial majority of video clips surveyed 
online were not closed captioned, including 77% of news video clips. These initial 
results conflict with the letter and spirit of the CV AA, which was intended to "ensure that 
individuals with disabilities are able to ... better access video programming." We hope 
that the FCC takes this opportunity to resolve this issue and ensure that millions of people 
who are deaf and hard of hearing are not shut out from important online programming. 
We commend the Commission's continued diligence and sustained efforts to implement 
this important law. 
Sincerely, 
M~~@-= 
Mark Pryor 
United States Senator 
~~~a~r Edward J. Markey 
United States Senator