Airline Safety Information and Entertainment Access Act

To amend title 49, United States Code, to improve the accessibility of airline information and entertainment programming provided by air carriers on passenger flights, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Airline Safety Information and Entertainment Access Act 2. Accessibility of in-flight safety and entertainment programming (a) In general Subchapter I of chapter 417 section 41705 41705a. Accessibility of in-flight airline information and entertainment programming (a) Requirement (1) Programming On and after the date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this section, in providing air transportation, an air carrier, including (subject to section 40105(b)) any foreign air carrier, shall ensure that all visually displayed airline information and entertainment programming available to passengers on a flight is accessible to persons with disabilities, including by providing (or making available)— (A) open captioning and American Sign Language option for persons with disabilities when such programming is available to passengers through shared video displays, such as a monitor located in a passenger access aisle; (B) closed captioning and American Sign Language option for persons with disabilities when such programming is available to passengers through individual video displays; (C) audio description for persons with disabilities when such programming is available to passengers through individual video displays or shared video displays; and (D) any aural PA announcement in textual format through individual video displays or shared video displays. (2) Video displays, apps for personal electronic devices, and web portals and websites Not later than the effective date of the regulations prescribed under subsection (c)(2), in providing air transportation, an air carrier, including (subject to section 40105(b)) any foreign air carrier, shall ensure that— (A) all individual video displays of visually displayed airline information and entertainment programming to passengers on a flight that are operated primarily by using touchscreens or other contact-sensitive controls include a mechanism that allows persons with disabilities to nonvisually operate such displays in accordance with the standards prescribed under subsection (c); (B) any apps for a personal electronic device, such as a phone or tablet, that are made available by the air carrier to passengers on a flight and that display visually displayed airline information and entertainment programming include a mechanism that allows persons with disabilities to nonvisually operate such apps in accordance with the standards prescribed under subsection (c); and (C) any web portals or websites the air carrier directs passengers to in order to access or pay for inflight entertainment, including the method for referring passengers to such web portals and websites, include a mechanism that allows persons with disabilities to nonvisually operate such web portals and websites in accordance with the standards prescribed under subsection (c). (b) Civil action (1) Aggrieved persons (A) In general Any person aggrieved by the violation by an air carrier of this section or a regulation prescribed under this section may, during the 2-year period beginning on the date of the violation, bring a civil action in an appropriate district court of the United States. (B) Available relief If a court finds in favor of the plaintiff in a civil action brought under subparagraph (A), the court may award to the plaintiff equitable and legal relief, including compensatory and punitive damages, and shall, in addition to any such relief, award reasonable attorney’s fees, reasonable expert fees, and cost of the action to the plaintiff. (C) No requirement to exhaust administrative remedies Any person aggrieved by the violation by an air carrier of this section or a regulation prescribed under this section shall not be required to exhaust administrative remedies before bringing a civil action under subparagraph (A). (D) Rule of construction Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to invalidate or limit other Federal or State laws affording to people with disabilities greater legal rights or protections than those granted by this section. (2) Enforcement by Attorney General (A) In general The Attorney General may bring a civil action on behalf of persons aggrieved by the violation by an air carrier of this section or a regulation prescribed under this section in any appropriate district court of the United States. (B) Authority of court In a civil action under subparagraph (A), the court may— (i) grant any equitable relief that the court considers to be appropriate; (ii) award such other relief as the court considers to be appropriate, including monetary damages to persons aggrieved by the violation by an air carrier of this section or a regulation prescribed under this section, when requested by the Attorney General; and (iii) assess a civil penalty against the air carrier. (c) Establishment of standards for operation of individual video displays, apps for personal electronic devices, and web portals and websites (1) In general Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this section, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board shall, in consultation with the Secretary, prescribe standards in accordance with chapter 5 Administrative Procedure Act (2) Regulations Not later than 180 days after the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board issues standards under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall prescribe such regulations as are necessary to implement those standards and shall publish those regulations in an accessible format. (3) Review and amendment The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, in consultation with the Secretary, shall periodically review and, as appropriate, amend the standards prescribed under paragraph (1) in accordance with chapter 5 (d) Definitions In this section: (1) Audio description The term audio description (A) allows an individual who is blind or who has low vision to have access to the key visual elements of visually displayed airline information and entertainment programming (such as actions, settings, facial expressions, costumes, and scene changes); and (B) allows that access through the provision of contemporaneous audio narrated descriptions of those elements during the natural pauses in the audio portion of the programming, or during the audio portion if necessary. (2) Closed captioning The term closed captioning (A) allows an individual who is deaf or hard of hearing to have access to the content of visually displayed airline information and entertainment programming; and (B) allows that access by displaying, through an individual device or individually used technology, all of the audio portion of the programming (including displaying the dialogue and any narration, as well as descriptions of on- and off-screen sounds such as sound effects, music, or lyrics for music, and information identifying the character who is speaking) as text that can be effectively viewed and controlled by that individual while the individual simultaneously watches the programming. (3) Person with a disability The term person with a disability 42 U.S.C. 12102 (4) Open captioning The term open captioning (A) allows an individual who is deaf or hard of hearing to have access to the content of visually displayed airline information and entertainment programming; and (B) allows that access by openly displaying on the video display on which the programming is displayed all of the audio portion of the programming (including displaying the dialogue and any narration, as well as descriptions of on- and off-screen sounds such as sound effects, music, or lyrics for music, and information identifying the character who is speaking) as text that can be effectively viewed by that individual and other passengers while the individual and passengers simultaneously watch the programming. (5) Secretary The term Secretary (6) Visually displayed airline information and entertainment programming The term visually displayed airline information and entertainment programming . (b) Clerical amendment The analysis for chapter 417 section 41705 41705a. Accessibility of in-flight airline information and entertainment programming. .

Summary: Airline Safety Information and Entertainment Access Act This bill requires air carriers (including foreign carriers) to ensure equal access to airline information and entertainment programming for all airline passengers regardless of their disabilities. Specifically, the bill requires an air carrier to provide or make available for persons with disabilities open captioning and an American Sign Language (ASL) option when the information and programming are available to passengers through shared video displays, closed captioning and an ASL option when the information and programming are available to passengers through individual video displays, and audio descriptions when the information and programming are available to passengers through individual or shared video displays. An air carrier must also provide any aural public address announcement in textual format through individual or shared video displays. Further, an air carrier must ensure all control systems for video displays, applications (apps) for personal devices, web portals, and websites for passengers have the option to allow a person with a disability to operate the item nonvisually. The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (the Access Board) must set forth the minimum technical criteria for individual video displays, apps for personal devices, web portals, and websites for airline passengers to ensure that they include a mechanism that allows persons with disabilities to operate them nonvisually. The Department of Transportation must issue any necessary regulations. A civil action may be brought by an aggrieved person or the Department of Justice in a U.S. District Court against an air carrier for violations of these requirements.