Signed on October 8, 2010, by then-president Barack Obama, the bill amended the Communications Act of 1934 to include updated requirements for ensuring the accessibility of "modern" telecommunications to people with disabilities.

Title I of the CVAA mandates that "advanced communications services and products" (including electronic messaging, VoIP, and video conferencing) be accessible to users with disabilities.

[4][5] Effective July 1, 2012, under an FCC report and order implementing the Act, affiliates of the four major networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC) in certain media markets, and television providers with more than 50,000 subscribers, via the top five non-broadcast networks not dedicated primarily to "near-live" programming (aired within 24 hours of production) as determined every three years by Nielsen ratings, are required to broadcast a minimum amount of programming containing AD per-quarter.

[8][9][10] Under the act, broadcasters, television providers, and video programming devices must be able to convey "emergency information" in a format accessible to the blind and visually impaired.

[11][12][13] In November 2024, the NAB requested a further delay, citing that the required technology was still non-existent, and that "it remains impossible for stations to continue to provide important emergency information to viewers while complying with the audible crawl rule as written".