On October 17, 2023, the FCC adopted the Audio Description Second Report and Order, which phases in audio description requirements for an additional ten markets every year until all markets are covered. This Second Report and Order was scheduled to be discussed at the Commission’s October 19, 2023 Open Meeting, but was adopted in advance of the meeting.
Consistent with the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA), the Second Report and Order phases in the audio description requirements for an additional ten Designated Market Areas (DMAs) each year, beginning with DMAs 101 through 110 on January 1, 2025, and concluding with DMAs 201 through 210 on January 1, 2035.
Link to the Second Report and Order:
https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-expands-audio-description-requirements-all-television-markets
For general information about audio description, visit https://www.fcc.gov/audio-description. For more information about the Audio Description Second Report and Order, contact Diana Sokolow, Policy Division, Media Bureau, at (202) 418-2120 or by email at Diana.Sokolow@fcc.gov. Individuals who use videophones and are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) may call the FCC’s ASL Consumer Support Line at (844) 432-2275 (videophone).