Mat is the Policy and Research Coordinator and has been with the organisation for just over a year.
What have been a few of the highlights of 2010 for you in your area of access?
As the Policy guy at MAA—and on the fifth day of access—my five-gold-rings ultimate highlight for 2010 is definitely the release of the Media Access Review Final Report by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, the Hon Sen Stephen Conroy. I encourage everyone to read it—especially the recommendations!
On 8 October, President Obama signed into law the US 21st Century Communications & Video Accessibility Act of 2010, one of the most comprehensive pieces of access legislation in the world. Amongst other things, the Act will see in the US all captioned television programs captioned when shown online, and all receiving devices (e.g. mobiles and tablets) capable of showing captions and delivering audio description.
What was involved in the Media Access Review Final Report?
The Media Access Review began in 2008 when the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) released the Media Access Review Discussion Paper, to which MAA and others provided submissions. Late last year, DBCDE released a Discussion Report canvassing the various submissions from consumers, industry, and others, and noting proposed options which the Commonwealth was considering taking. Again, individuals and organisations were invited to comment, and these comments informed DBCDE, which then released the Final Report, which presents the directions which the Government is prepared to take.
What makes the Final Report so exciting is that it is leaps and bounds ahead of the Discussion Report. The Discussion Report noted that the Government was considering how to achieve ‘regulatory certainty’ regarding television captioning requirements, but the Final Report has come out with a solid recommendation to legislate all captioning requirements (for free-to-air and subscription television) under the Broadcasting Services Act —a great result. Furthermore, the Government will legislate for caption quality—a major step forward! Also, a full-scale technical trial of audio description on ABC1, which for three months next year will almost certainly have the highest level of AD on television in the world.
What was one of the challenges faced in your area in 2010?
This was a busy year for policy at MAA! We’ve put in submissions for the Media Access Review Discussion Report, the subscription television application for exemption from the Disability Discrimination Act at the Human Rights Commission, and an inquiry into the use of spectrum for a 3D TV trial, just to name a few!
How do you see accessibility improving in 2011?
Easy! From the Media Access Review Final Report:
- 100% of 6am to midnight television captioning targets will become law
- Television captioning of adequate quality will become law
- Subscription television will have captioning targets in law
- The ABC1 audio description trial in the second half of 2011 (for 14 hours a day for 13 weeks!)
- ACMA will get better powers to investigate complaints about poor or insufficient television captioning
What’s your top pick for a gift with accessible features this festive season?
If you’re game, give someone a copy of the Media Access Review Final Report! If you’re vision impaired, use the web link, get an audio file of the report, or you can order a Braille copy from DBCDE if you use Braille! If you’re travelling to visit family—or they’re coming to you—why not make the journey a little easier? Have a great holiday!
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