Caption Action 2 was granted permission to share a letter from Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO) to a Caption Action 2 supporter. (DeGette is on the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet.) Instead of reprinting the entire letter, Caption Action 2 wishes to focus on the key statement by Representative DeGette:
Read the entire letter.
Some who work for the industry argue that this would place an unfair economic burden on them, but that was also argued when closed captioning was signed into law in 1990. It is widely accepted that closed captioning has been an indispensable service for millions of Americans, and did not place an economic burden on the television and film industry.
Note that DeGette wrote that closed captioning did NOT place an economic burden on the industry. In spite of their whining back then, that it would. DeGette also has her facts incorrect. In 1990, it was the Television Decoder Circuitry Act that was passed. Closed captioning itself did not become mandatory on television until 1996, when the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was passed in Congress.
While it sounds like DeGette is prepared to support HR 3101, Caption Action 2 noted that NOWHERE in her letter did she state that she would cosponsor the bill. Clearly she too is "afraid" of Rick Boucher! Clearly she too will not come out on the subcommittee in support of this bill until Rick Boucher moves the bill!
What's that they say? Actions speak louder than words?
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