Consumers for Cable Choice Commemorates 15th Anniversary of the ADA; Calls on Congress to Allow Expanded Cable TV Services for Americans with Disabilities

Consumers for Cable Choice Commemorates 15th Anniversary of the ADA; Calls on Congress to Allow Expanded Cable TV Services for Americans with Disabilities

INDIANAPOLIS, July 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Marking the 15th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, Consumers for Cable Choice and three national groups dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities called on Congress today to live up to the promises of the ADA.

"Technological advances in the past 15 years could vastly improve the lives of the more than 54 million Americans who have disabilities, but outdated laws are keeping competition from spurring innovation and service expansion," said Robert K. Johnson, executive director of Consumers for Cable Choice. "Super high speed video services, including interactive TV, telemedicine, and real-time sign language interpretation, could improve lives just as TDD devices enabled people with hearing disabilities to communicate over the telephone."

Jacquelyn Brand, a nationally prominent disability advocate, said she supports competition in the cable industry because of the innovation and expanded service it will create. Brand is executive director of the California-based Independent Living Network, founder and first executive director of the Center for Accessible Technology in Berkeley, Calif. and the Alliance for Technology Access in San Rafael, Calif. She is also a charter member of Consumers for Cable Choice.

"Access to new communication technologies is important for all people, but it is especially important for people with disabilities because it enables them to reach out and be involved in the world just like anyone else," said Brand, whose daughter's disability inspired her cause. "To me, the debate over competition isn't about adding more movie channels; it's about giving real people access to technology that can dramatically enhance their lives."

Ira Schoenholtz operates Schoenholtz & Co., a securities brokerage firm, as well as the 11-year-old American Association of Business Persons with Disabilities (AABPD), from his home office in Irvine, Calif. Schoenholtz, who is a paraplegic, said he joined Consumers for Cable Choice to be sure policy makers remember the effects their decisions will have on people of all ability levels.

"Telecommunications advances have changed the world for everyone, but for people with disabilities, technology has allowed us to function just as well as anyone else in the business world," Schoenholtz said. "The more we're able to use technology, the more productive all of us will be. These technological advances must continue, and they must be made accessible to everyone."

Mark Breimhorst, executive director of the World Institute on Disability (WID) of Oakland, Calif. and also a charter member of Consumers for Cable Choice, works to put public policy into action. Founded in 1983, WID leaders worked to enact the ADA and have seen the positive effects it has had.

"We celebrate the passage of the act with the reminder that there is much more to do," said Breimhorst. "People with disabilities have much to offer the world, and technological innovations enable us to achieve our potential. What better way could there be to honor the ADA's birthday than with a commitment to do all we can to encourage more innovation, more accessibility and more ways for everyone to communicate?"

The ADA, enacted in 1990, mandated equal access to education, employment, and other essential activities and services for the country's largest minority group, individuals with disabilities. Since that time, the world has seen comprehensive change in the telecommunications industry. Cellular phones, fiber optics, facsimile transmission, the Internet and satellite systems have enabled instantaneous communication with virtually anyone in the world at any time of the day or night.

"Unfortunately, our laws haven't kept pace with technology and as a result, television programming is almost universally a passive service," Johnson said. "It's high time we put those boxes to better use."

Consumers for Cable Choice, Independent Living Network, AABPD and WID appealed to Congress to enact the Video Choice Act of 2005, introduced in the U.S. House by Reps. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Albert Wynn of Maryland, and in the U.S. Senate by Sens. Gordon Smith of Oregon and John Rockefeller of West Virginia.

About Consumers for Cable Choice, Inc.

Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind. C4CC is a national alliance of consumer advocacy groups, private citizens and others who are committed to promoting maximum choice for consumers in cable, video and broadband services. Its mission is to actively remove the regulatory roadblocks that stand between today's monopolies and reformed government policies that open the channels for fair competition. C4CC uses a combination of education and grassroots advocacy to impact change, which will result in a deregulated and pro-consumer market that stimulates fair price, more choices and better service options in the cable television industry. Executive Director Johnson has been advocating for policies that benefit residential and small business consumers for more than 20 years. To learn more, visit http://www.consumers4choice.org/ or call 317-885-0097 or (866) 213-0536.

Media Contacts: Robert Johnson Cheryl Reed or Amy Zucker Consumers for Cable Choice Synergy Marketing Group, Inc. (317) 885-0097 (317) 205-9690 johnson@consumers4choice.orgcherylreed@synergy-mg.com

Source: Consumers for Cable Choice, Inc.

CONTACT: Robert Johnson of Consumers for Cable Choice, +1-317-885-0097, johnson@consumers4choice.org ; Cheryl Reed or Amy Zucker of Synergy Marketing Group, Inc., +1-317-205-9690, cherylreed@synergy-mg.com , for Consumers for Cable Choice

Web site: http://www.consumers4choice.org/

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