The FCC Media Bureau is seeking comment on a request from NAB, the American Foundation for the Blind and American Council of the Blind for more time to develop technology to provide an audio representation of visual, non-text emergency information such as maps and graphics, said a public notice Wednesday. Though rules require that such information is aurally represented for individuals who are blind and visually impaired, the bureau granted NAB an 18-month waiver in May 2015 to allow more time to develop technology to translate maps and graphics into audio on a second stream (see 1505120027). The PN said AFB, ACB and NAB want a further 18-month extension of that waiver. Comments are due Oct. 17, replies Oct 27.

AT&T's DirecTV Now streaming service programming lineup will include Viacom networks Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, Spike, BET, CMT, TV Land, Nick at Nite, Nick Jr. and Logo, Viacom said in a news release Tuesday. DirecTV Now is expected to launch in Q4 (see 1603020031).

Campus Televideo and licensees of two Pennsylvania TV stations are battling over whether CTV owes retransmission fees for broadcast signals being transmitted to a nearby college campus. CTV is only a sales representative of DirecTV, not a reseller or subdistributor, and thus isn't on the hook for retrans fees, the company said in a filing Monday in FCC docket 16-246. The WSEE-TV Erie, Pennsylvania, and WICU-TV Erie signals being retransmitted to Edinboro University are being done by DirecTV, and DirecTV is solely responsible for getting retrans consent from WSEE licensee Lilly Broadcasting of Pennsylvania License Subsidiary and WICU licensee SJL of Pennsylvania License Subsidiary, CTV said. It also said SJL/Lilly -- which filed a complaint with the FCC in August -- didn't cite any legal basis why CTV owes retrans fees atop what DirecTV already is paying. SJL/Lilly's "real complaint appears to be that it is not satisfied by the amount of the retransmission consent fee it receives from DirecTV," CTV said. The SJL/Lilly complaint claimed CTV was receiving WSEE and WICU signals from DirecTV and redistributing them to Edinboro, which was in turn redistributing them, even though CTV wasn't authorized to retransmit and Edinboro wasn't given subdistribution rights. In a filing in September, SJL/Lilly said CTV inconsistently described its role and that its signals were being retransmitted without consent or compensation, something the FCC needs to investigate.

Charter Communications' motion to dismiss Univision's lawsuit (see 1609060069) doesn't rebut or even tackle the core arguments in Univision's complaint, and its arguments against the broadcaster's breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing are "legally meaningless," Univision said in memorandum of law Friday in opposition to Charter's motion to dismiss. In the filing in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, Univision said the breach claims are based on conduct that pre-dates the June 2016 expiration of the programmer's contract with Charter, negating Charter's argument the breach claims are based on an expired contract. Univision also said its breach of contract cause of action isn't premature under the doctrine of anticipatory breach and doesn't seek "speculative" damages. Univision also said Charter mischaracterized its buys of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, breaching its obligation to act in good faith. Univision is suing Charter, claiming license fees in its TWC agreement apply only to the legacy systems and through this year (see 1607080022). Fox News Network brought a similar complaint (see 1607200065). Charter didn't comment Monday.

Liberman Broadcasting wants to be able to file confidential information with the FCC as part of its petition asking the agency to reconsider the company's dismissed carriage complaint against Comcast (see 1609260049) without that information becoming part of the public record, it said in a request for confidential treatment filed Friday in docket 16-121. The request said the material deals with private carriage talks between Liberman and Comcast on topics including terms, rates and consideration.

All video programming distributors are required to make televised emergency information accessible to those who have visual or hearing impairments, the FCC said in a reminder public notice Friday. The rules cover broadcasters, cable operators, fiber, satellite TV, and “any other distributor of video programming for residential reception that delivers such programming directly to the home,” the PN said. Emergency information shown during “the video portion of a regularly scheduled newscast or a newscast that interrupts regular programming” should be made accessible through aural description, the PN said. The information in text crawls must be conveyed over a secondary audio stream, the PN said. Manufacturers have to provide a simple mechanism for accessing the secondary stream by Dec. 20, and multichannel video programming distributors will be required to pass through emergency info on a secondary audio stream “when it is provided on linear programming accessed on second screen devices” starting July 10, the PN said. For those who are hearing impaired, it said, “emergency information provided in the audio portion of the programming [must] be made accessible using closed captioning or other methods of visual presentation, including open captioning, crawls or scrolls that appear on the screen.” To make sure warnings are understood by those watching who have cognitive disabilities or conditions such as Alzheimer's, the FCC recommends VPDs provide content “in plain and understandable English, avoiding, where possible, abbreviations, idioms, technical vocabulary, complicated and lengthy sentences, and figurative language” and include “easy-to understand instructions,” the PN said. The FCC will monitor complaints about a lack of accessible emergency information closely, and violations could incur ”possible enforcement action,” the PN said. Complaints can be filed at www.fcc.gov/complaints

“NAB is sorry to see the end of INTX," an NAB spokesman told us Wednesday evening, shortly after NCTA said it won't hold its annual cable show (see 1609280068). NCTA CEO Michael Powell blogged that his group thinks "large trade show floors, dotted with exhibit booths and stilted schedules have become an anachronism." NAB "strongly" disagrees "that large trade shows are ‘anachronistic,’" its spokesman said. "We believe the 103,000 attendees at last year’s NAB Show in Las Vegas would also beg to differ.” CTA can't comment on other trade shows, a spokesman emailed us Thursday. CTA holds the annual CES.

The Alexa world expanded again with Amazon’s announcement Wednesday that it's taking preorders for a new Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote. The $39 streaming media stick is up to a third faster than the original Fire TV Stick and will include up to $65 in content for new subscribers who buy and activate their device by Oct. 31, Amazon said. Content offers include one month of Sling TV, two months of Hulu’s limited-commercial offering and a $10 credit for Amazon Video rentals or purchases.

Roku bowed a new lineup of streaming media players in a Monday announcement, dropping the entry price point of video streaming to $29. Amazon's Fire TV stick was selling Monday for $39.

The Digital Entertainment Group will lend its name to a comScore digital download industry service in North America, they said in a Thursday announcement, giving studios, TV networks, distributors and others “title-level consumer transactional information” on digital sales of electronic sell-through and internet VOD content.