WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission’s Media Bureau has announced that manufacturers of covered apparatus and multichannel video programming distributors have until Aug. 1, 2026, to comply with the requirement to make closed captioning display settings readily accessible to individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing.
Last July 19, the commission released an Report and Order adopting the new “readily accessible” requirement.
The new rules are designed to make watching television easier for those with hearing impairments by giving them greater control over how closed captions are displayed. They are also meant to make it easier for viewers to find the controls.
The R&O, the third by the agency to make television more accessible to those with disabilities, puts in place a “readily accessible” requirement for the display of closed captions that makes it simpler for viewers to access the settings of many covered devices to adjust the captions’ font, size, color and other features. Besides televisions and set-top boxes, covered devices include any device manufactured or used in the United States designed to receive or play back video transmitted with sound.
