The Cabinet of Ministers has proposed that the parliament require television companies to provide subtitles and sign-language translations for at least 5% of the programs they broadcast per day.
The Cabinet of Ministers made this proposal in the draft law No. 6618 entitled “On amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine regarding Improvement of Access to information for People with Hearing Impairments,” which was registered in the parliament on July 1.
Specifically, the draft law provides adding the relevant provision to Article 28 of the law “On Television and Radio Broadcasting,”
This provision stipulates that the broadcasting concept of television companies should provide for among other things, adapting at least 5% of the programs they broadcast per day to meet the requirements of people with hearing impairments by providing subtitles and sign-language translations, including information, analytical, cultural, arts, scientific, and educational programs, as well as movies.
The draft law provides for adding to the terms of television companies’ broadcast licenses the obligation to subtitle information, educational, and children’s programs, as well as television movies, regardless of the language of the original soundtrack.
In addition, the draft law provides for requiring television companies to provide sign-language translations for information programs, addresses by the head of state, and emergency announcements.
The draft law also provides for amending the law “On the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council” to grant the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council the power to oversee the use of languages during television broadcasting and part of television programs with subtitles and sign-language translations.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the Cabinet of Ministers headed by then-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko planned to require daily broadcast of 2,500 hours of information television programs with subtitles and sign-language translations in late 2009.
