The FCC has adopted rules that are designed to better enable individuals with disabilities to access video programming through closed captioning.
The Third Report and Order, unanimously approved by the five Commissioners, adopts a “readily accessible” requirement for closed captioning display settings.
The Commission previously adopted requirements that users must be able to customize caption displays by changing the font, size, color, and other caption features, but many consumers have had difficulty accessing these caption display settings. The Order takes steps to alleviate this problem.
The Order, the FCC says, ensures that users are able to customize captions to fit their needs.
The Commission will evaluate four factors in determining whether caption display settings are readily accessible to consumers: proximity, discoverability, previewability, and consistency and persistence.
Those factors were described in a joint proposal between the NCTA and a coalition of consumer groups.
Both manufacturers of covered apparatus and multichannel video programming distributors will be responsible for compliance with the rule.
— RBR+TVBR in Washington, D.C.
