Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010

The Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 aims to increase access for persons with disabilities to modern communications. The law requires telecommunications providers to make their services accessible to individuals with disabilities, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, and have speech disabilities. It also mandates the implementation of relay services for deaf-blind individuals and establishes an Emergency Access Advisory Committee to provide recommendations on ensuring access to emergency services by individuals with disabilities. The law requires closed captioning on video programming delivered using Internet protocol and reinstates regulations requiring video description in digital television. Additionally, it mandates that apparatuses designed to receive or play back video programming be equipped with built-in closed caption decoder circuitry and capability for displaying closed captions, video descriptions, and emergency information.