Decision on CfC: TV Remote Control API Comments (Reissued)

Colleagues:

This CfC has recieved only messages of support. It is, consequently,
agreed as a consensus decision of APA.

The head of thread for this CfC is at:
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-apa-admin/2017Mar/0003.html

Janina


Janina Sajka writes:
> Colleagues:
> 
> This is a Call for Consensus (CfC) to the Accessible Platform
> Architectures (APA) Working Group on our review of the TV Remote Control
> API specification as detailed below.
> 
> I have endeavored to incorporate such API related comments as we've
> recieved on an earlier draft comment beginning at:
> 
> http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-apa/2017Feb/0019.html
> 
> In addition this review reflects our discussion on this topic and this
> specification at our 8 March regular teleconference minuted at:
> 
> http://www.w3.org/2017/03/08-apa-minutes.html
> 
> <Begin Revised Draft Comment>
> 
> The Accessible Platform Architectures (APA) Working Group makes the
> following comments on the draft TV Control API specification at:
> 
> https://www.w3.org/tr/tvcontrol-api/
> 
> We appreciate that an API for TV remote control could be utilized for
> enabling accessible alternative Web applications to provide radio and TV
> services to users with disabilities who may find it difficult or
> impossible to operate any user interface supplied with a particular
> browser or hardware device. This is an inherent accessibility strength
> for any API that provides for sufficient feature support. Regretably, we
> believe the current TV Remote Control API as currently defined lacks
> required accessibility feature support.
> 
> *	alternative media support
> 
> We would draw your attention to the multiple alternative media formats
> that are used by persons with disabilities as set forth in our W3C Note
> publication: "Media Accessibility User Requirements (MAUR)" available
> at:
> 
> http://www.w3.org/TR/media-accessibility-reqs
> 
> Please note that this document was developed in order to inform the
> development of the HTML 5.0 specification itself. As a result of this
> note, HTML provides sufficient feature support to support accessibility
> in HTML's video and audio elements.
> 
> Our reading of the Tv Control API draft finds no way for users to learn
> of the presence of any MAUR identified alternative media with any
> particular TV content, nor any means to request display of alternative
> content. This is a fundamental accessibility requirement on TV Controls
> and we believe it must be factored into this specification.
> 
> *	Alternative Media on Second Screen Devices
> 
> APA's predecessor Working Group, Protocols and Formats WG also provided
> use cases and requirements to the Second Screen Working Group on how
> alternative media might be directed to second screen devices. We believe
> support for directing alternative video, audio, and/or text to secondary
> devices, as described in the MAUR,  is also a fundamental accessibility
> requirement on TV Controls and should be supported in this API.
> 
> *	Legal Requirements
> 
> The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S. has explicit
> legally mandated regulations setting forth some strict requirements on
> how certain alternative media are to be exposed to consumers. These
> regulations also require accessible program guides.
> 
> We believe that developers should be flagged most especially on the requirement that
> captioning must be enableable by top level controls. These FCC
> requirements implement provisions of a U.S. law known as the
> "Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act" as
> explained by the FCC at:
> 
> https://www.fcc.gov/general/twenty-first-century-communications-and-video-accessibility-act-0#block-menu-block-4
> 
> The FCC's regulations pertinent to this specification were published in
> December 2016 in the document: "Accessibility Requirements for
> Television and Set-Top Box Controls, Menus, and Program Guides"
> available at:
> 
> PDF:		https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-16-1416A1.pdf
> MS-Word: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-16-1416A1.docx
> 
> Also relevant is the document "Display of Captioning on Equipment Used
> to View Video Programming" available at:
> 
> https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/closed-captioning-display-requirements-equipment#block-menu-block-4
> 
> Additionally, we would request that your API reference the MAUR in your
> appendices in order to assist developers in meeting both their moral and
> legal requirements in support of accessibility.
> 
> <End Draft Comment>
> 
> *       ACTION TO TAKE
> 
> This CfC is now open for objection, comment, as well as statements of
> support via email. Silence will be interpreted as support, though
> messages of support are certainly welcome.
> 
> If you object to this proposed action, or have comments concerning this
> proposal, please respond by replying on list to this message no later
> than 23:59 (Midnight) Boston Time, Tuesday 21 March.
> 
> Janina
>  
> 
> -- 
> 
> Janina Sajka,	Phone:	+1.443.300.2200
> 			sip:janina@asterisk.rednote.net
> 		Email:	janina@rednote.net
> 
> Linux Foundation Fellow
> Executive Chair, Accessibility Workgroup:	http://a11y.org
> 
> The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
> Chair, Accessible Platform Architectures	http://www.w3.org/wai/apa
> 

-- 

Janina Sajka,	Phone:	+1.443.300.2200
			sip:janina@asterisk.rednote.net
		Email:	janina@rednote.net

Linux Foundation Fellow
Executive Chair, Accessibility Workgroup:	http://a11y.org

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
Chair, Accessible Platform Architectures	http://www.w3.org/wai/apa

Received on Wednesday, 22 March 2017 14:35:56 UTC