Closed Captioning Benchmarks
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>
This page last updated:January 7, 2004
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