To: Consumer Contact List
From: Karen Peltz Strauss, RERC-TA
Re: Consumer Contact List - Closed Captioning Benchmarks
Date: January 7, 2004

Below is a link to a public notice released yesterday by the FCC announcing new benchmarks that began on January 1, 2004 for providing closed captions on television programming. The FCC now requires (1) approximately 75% of all new, nonexempt English language programs to be captioned and (2) approximately 50% of all new, nonexempt Spanish language programs to be captioned. The major exemptions that exist are for overnight programming (2 a.m. to 6 a.m.), commercials, and some non-repeat local programming (local news is not included within this exemption). As the notice makes clear, these benchmarks do not affect other FCC mandates that require - without exception - all emergency programming to be visually accessible.

Released: 01/06/2004. NOTICE TO VIDEO PROGRAMMING DISTRIBUTORS AND THE PUBLIC OF THE JANUARY 1, 2004, REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CLOSED CAPTIONING OF NEW NONEXEMPT ENGLISH AND SPANISH LANGUAGE VIDEO PROGRAMMING AND REMINDER REGARDING OTHER CAPTIONING REQUIREMENTS. (DA
No. 04-2). CGB. Contact: Traci Randolph at (202) 418-0569, email:
traci.randolph@fcc.gov, TTY: (202) 418-0537. News Media Contact: Sonia Greenaway-Mickle at (202) 418-1419, email: sonia.greenaway@fcc.gov, TTY:
(202) 418-7172
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-04-2A1.doc>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-04-2A1.pdf>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-04-2A1.txt>