WASHINGTON—Following the FCC’s release of new closed captioning rules, which are available here, Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler issued a statement to help clarify what entities are responsible for delivery and quality of closed captions on television.
“Today’s Commission action on closed captioning is about responsibility,” said Wheeler. “Those who produce and distribute video for television have a shared responsibility to ensure that closed captioning is both available and accurate. Likewise, this agency has a responsibility to seize on this moment in time which, for the first time in human history, offers us real opportunities to address the communications challenges faced by tens of millions of Americans with disabilities. We are making significant progress on this front and I thank my fellow Commissioners for joining me in this important work.”
These new rules are another step in Wheeler’s plan on communications accessibility. Previous FCC efforts included its rules to make deaf-blind equipment distribution program permanent, prioritized text-to-911 availability, improved accessibility of emergency information on second screen devices, and the adoption of closed captioning quality standards.
