Senators Markey and Luján, along with Representatives Dingell and Fitzpatrick, have reintroduced the Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act, which would update the 2010 CVAA to address captioning, video conferencing, 9-1-1 access, and emerging technologies like AI and virtual reality.

A bipartisan, bicameral bill aimed at updating federal digital accessibility standards was reintroduced in Congress on April 16, 2026, with significant backing from organizations representing people who are deaf, hard of hearing, and blind.

Sen Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Sen Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Rep Debbie Dingell (MI-06), and Rep Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) reintroduced the Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility (CVTA) Act, which would update and strengthen the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) — the landmark 2010 legislation that Markey authored. The CVTA was initially introduced in November 2022 by Markey and then-Representative Anna G. Eshoo.

For audiologists and other hearing healthcare professionals, the bill carries direct relevance: it targets the very communication technologies — captioning systems, video conferencing platforms, and emergency services access — that patients with hearing loss rely on in their daily professional, social, and medical lives.

What the CVTA Would Do

The legislation proposes several updates to existing federal accessibility requirements. Specifically, the CVTA would:

  • Improve and expand closed captioning and audio description standards for both television and online video streaming platforms
  • Update requirements ensuring viewers can easily activate and select preferred settings for captions and audio description on televisions, smartphones, laptops, and tablets
  • Improve access to video conferencing platforms for people with disabilities
  • Ensure equitable access to 9-1-1 emergency services for people with disabilities
  • Empower the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to keep accessibility regulations current with emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and virtual reality platforms

Hearing Loss Community Voices Support

The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) is among the organizations backing the legislation. “Technology has changed dramatically since the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act became law in 2010. To continue building a world where people with hearing loss are fully included in the media and tools that permeate their lives, we welcome the CVTA’s proposed updates to accessibility requirements,” says Barbara Kelley, executive director of HLAA, in a release.

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) also expressed strong support. “The CVTA represents the next step in ensuring full and equitable communication access for deaf and hard of hearing Americans. Technology has evolved rapidly since the CVAA, and our laws must keep pace. This bill strengthens captioning, expands access to sign language visibility, and reaffirms that accessibility is a fundamental right and a foundational requirement — not an afterthought. The National Association of the Deaf urges swift passage so that no one is left behind as innovation continues,” says Bobbie Beth Scoggins, interim CEO at the National Association of the Deaf, in a release.

Karen Peltz Strauss, national disability advocate, historian, and former deputy bureau chief of the FCC’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, also weighed in. “The CVTA will ensure that our laws keep pace with these ever-changing technologies that are already shaping our future. History shows that when technology is designed to be inclusive and everyone can participate, all of our lives are enriched,” says Strauss, in a release.

Communication Service for the Deaf, described as the largest nonprofit in the US devoted to serving deaf communities, also endorsed the bill. “The CVAA has gone a long way toward achieving communication equality, but must be made contemporaneous if its intended spirit is to be fully realized. The race to introduce new technologies often happens without the disability community’s participation, negatively impacting the quality-of-life for this population,” says Christopher Soukup, CEO of Communication Service for the Deaf, in a release.

Howard A. Rosenblum, CEO of Deaf Equality, highlighted one notable expansion included in the bill. “The CVTA bill accomplishes this goal on many levels, including through expanded captioning access as well as adding for the first time visual access to sign language on television and other video formats. By passing this bill now, Congress ensures true equality for all in accessing new technologies,” says Rosenblum, in a release.

Legislative Context

The CVAA, signed into law in 2010, mandated accessibility of devices and services for the millions of Americans with disabilities. It enabled the use of a wide range of devices and services in the digital era — but the proliferation of streaming platforms, AI-powered tools, video conferencing, and virtual reality in the intervening 15-plus years has outpaced the law’s original scope.

“As technology evolves and more of our lives move online, we must ensure people with disabilities have equal access to the tools and services it provides. Technology has advanced rapidly, but accessibility standards have not kept pace, leaving too many folks behind,” says Sen Luján, in a release.

Sen Markey underscored the stakes for Americans who rely on these technologies in critical moments. “If you cannot join the video conferencing meeting, follow the streaming show, or communicate with 9-1-1 emergency services, you are being shut out of modern American life,” says Markey, in a release.

AnnMarie Killian, president and CEO of TDIforAccess (TDI), framed the bill’s underlying principle succinctly. “As technology evolves, federal protections must keep pace so accessibility is built in — not bolted on,” says Killian, in a release.

The bill has not yet been scheduled for a committee vote.