Attacks on Public Broadcasting Lead US Accessibility Champion to Reject Prestigious Award Guest article by Larry Goldberg, Accessible Media and Technology Consultant

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This is a guest article by Larry Goldberg. Larry has been a leader in the field of accessible media for more than 40 years. This month he was chosen for an important award by a US government agency. The head of the agency has strongly attacked public media and wants to cut all federal money for it. Larry Goldberg started his work in public television and radio. In this article Larry explains why he could not accept the award. Lainey thinks this is an important act of resistance against the current US national government.

Seal of the United States Federal Communications Commission. circle outlined in gold with agency name and stylized eagle

Lainey’s Introduction

As the republican attacks on rights, benefits and democracy continue in the United States, resistance takes many forms. One problem in the country right now is that main stream media normalizes trump and republican activity, as if we are not creeping toward fascism with every act of cruelty. I believe that any action, large and small, that pushes back against that normalization is an act of resistance.

That is why I asked Larry Goldberg if I could share his statement below about turning down an award from the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC is a national agency that has done important work on captioning, audio description, and other access issues. The Chairman sets its agenda.

I believe that the action of this long-time accessibility advocate in turning down the award was an act of resistance.

As you’ll read below, Larry was selected for the award based in part on his role in advancing accessibility on public and private platforms while he was supported and employed by public broadcasting.

The Chairman giving the award is a loud voice attacking public broadcasting in both tv and radio, calling for it to be defunded. And he got his wish. Last Friday the US Congress agreed to eliminate $1.1 billion in funding for the the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the organization, begun almost 50 years ago, behind the country’s public television and radio stations.

Larry told me that the public broadcasting community “nourished me and taught me virtually everything I knew in the accessibility field.” Read his powerful statement below about why he couldn’t accept the honor.

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Public Broadcasting, the FCC, and Why I Turned Down the FCC Chairman’s Award for Advancement in Accessibility (by Larry Goldberg)

I was honored to be notified on July 1 of my selection for the FCC Chairman’s Award for Advancement in Accessibility, to be presented at the FCC’s headquarters on July 24. I am grateful for this recognition and for the continued work of Chairman Carr and the FCC in supporting accessibility for people with disabilities. However, after careful reflection, I have decided to decline the award.

Here’s why:

My introduction to accessibility began at one of public broadcasting’s flagship stations, WGBH. For nearly 30 years, I had the privilege of being part of, and eventually leading, the team that pioneered advances in captioning and audio description. I also helped establish the WGBH National Center for Accessible Media which was funded via a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. NCAM has played a key R&D and policy development role in media and technology accessibility innovation thanks to the vision and commitment of WGBH, PBS, its stations, and its audiences.

While at WGBH, I volunteered as co-chair of the FCC’s Video Programming Accessibility Advisory Committee, drafting the regulations required under the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA). I also sat as a member of the FCC’s Disability Advisory Committee and helped draft regulations under the TV Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990 and the captioning requirements mandated by the Telecommunications Act of 1996. All of this work as a volunteer for the FCC – my time, travel and other costs – was funded by WGBH and CPB. I treasured my time there and the community the FCC convened and served.

Now, FCC Chairman Carr’s attacks on public broadcasting, along with Congress’ recent rescission of funding for public media, accompanied by the strong urging of the president, makes it clear that either very little thought has gone into these attacks or, more likely, political interference has been combined with a complete disregard for the First Amendment. People with disabilities, along with every other American, will suffer due to the withdrawal of funding for public media.

My gratitude to the FCC Chairman for his dedication to advancing accessibility must be tempered by his ongoing assault on one of America’s most effective – and beloved – organizations, one which is dedicated to serving people with disabilities.

I look forward to the day when all branches of our government and its agencies will return to the mission of serving the “public interest, convenience and necessity” of our nation and all of its people.

About Larry Goldberg

Larry Goldberg is an accessible media and technology expert and consultant with four decades of experience as an innovative leader, entrepreneur, inventor, advisor and mentor. Larry began his consulting career after eight years at Yahoo, where he was Senior Director and eventually, Head of Accessibility. Before joining Yahoo in 2014
Larry worked at Boston’s public media leader WGBH for 30 years. At WGBH, he led its Media Access Group (which provides captioning and audio description) and then founded and directed its National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM). NCAM focuses on research and development, public policy initiatives and strategic partnerships for global impact on inclusive media and technology. Larry was directly involved in such ground-breaking legislation as the TV Decoder Circuitry Act, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA). He also co-founded the non-profit organizations Teach Access, XR Access and Procure Access.

07.2025