63-105.

Digital voice newspaper delivery system; legislative findings.

(1) The Legislature finds that:

(a) Newspapers are a significant and important source of daily information;

(b) As a written form of media, newspapers are able to provide indepth coverage of issues as well as coverage of a breadth of issues which may be absent in other electronic or broadcast media;

(c) While a newspaper's written format has advantages, such written format severely limits the ability of blind and other print-reading-impaired persons to obtain information from newspapers;

(d) This information deficit contributes to an unemployment rate estimated at seventy-five percent among working-age blind persons to whom the availability of such detailed news coverage would vastly improve opportunities for meaningful employment;

(e) There are a significant number of blind and other print-reading-impaired persons in Nebraska who would benefit from having timely and complete access to local and national newspapers;

(f) Due to technological advances, newspapers can be efficiently and effectively distributed by voice to enable access by blind and other print-reading-impaired persons; and

(g) The state should maintain a system by which blind and other print-reading-impaired persons can access the information newspapers provide.

(2) The purpose of this section and section 63-106 is to provide a digital voice newspaper delivery system to enable blind and other print-reading-impaired persons to access newspapers in a timely and comprehensive manner.