“This page is a digitally archived AccessInfo Announcement”
July 1, 2017 is the deadline for video programming distributors to caption video clips of programming shown live or near-live on television (such as news or sporting events) when these clips are delivered via Internet Protocol. This obligation, which stems from the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), was adopted by the FCC on July 14, 2014.
FCC rules allow the following:
- For clips of live programming, up to a 12-hour delay is permitted in posting a captioned clip after the programming has been shown on TV.
- For clips of near-live programming, up to an 8-hour delay is permitted in posting a captioned clip after the programming has been shown on TV.
Exemptions:
- The IP captioning requirement does not apply to video clips that are not shown on television with captions.
- The requirement also does not apply if a video clip is posted online with a substantially different audio track from that aired on television.
- The video clips rules do not extend to third party websites or apps.
Pursuant to other rules that are already in effect, captioning is also required for IP-delivered "straight lift" clips (containing a single excerpt of a captioned TV program with the same video and audio that was shown on TV) and “montage clips”(where a single file contains multiple straight lift video clips). The same exemptions apply to these types of video clips.
Links to the FCC’s Order:
Word: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-14-97A1.docx
PDF: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-14-97A1.pdf
Text: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-14-97A1.txt
For further information about captioning of internet programming, please visit the FCC’s webpage at: https://www.fcc.gov/general/closed-captioning-video-programming-delivered-using-internet-protocol-ip.
You may also contact Susan Bahr, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, at (202) 418-0573 or by e-mail to Susan.Bahr@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).