21st century communications and video accessibility act update

Implementation of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act continues with important deadlines approaching in 2013.

Overview

As you may know, the FCC addopted rules to enhance accessibility for people who are deaf and hard of hearing to emergency information and video-based programming on the internet.

Joseph Gordon, who represented the Center for Hearing and Communication on the Video Programming Accessibility Advisory Committee to the FCC, provides the following update.

Rules

Closed captioning rules require the following schedule for each category of new video programming to begin full captioning compliance:

1. September 30, 2012: Prerecorded programming that is not edited for Internet distribution;

2. March 30, 2013: Live and near live programming that was recorded within 24 hours of broadcast on television;

3. September 30, 2013: Prerecorded programming that is edited for Internet distribution.

This means that by September 30, 2013, 100% of new video programming shown on television with captions must have captions when shown online.

By contrast, video programming that is not new (as of April 30, 2012) but re-aired on television must be shown online with captions based on the following deadlines:

1. The programming must be captioned within 45 days after the date it is shown on television with captions on or after March 30, 2014;

2. The programming must be captioned within 30 days after the date it is shown on television with captions on or after March 30, 2015;

3. Such programming must be captioned within 15 days after the date it is shown on television with captions on or after March 30, 2016.

In addition, the rules require that covered “apparatus” (including computers, smart phones, tablets, DVD and Blu-ray players, and any physical device capable of receiving or playing back video programming simultaneously with sound) sold or manufactured in the United States must have closed captioning capability as of January 1, 2014.

Visit the FCC website for more complete information.

Registering a Complaint

The FCC recently modified its complaint form 2000C.  You can now use this form to file complaints about closed captioning of TV programs re-shown on the Internet.