Background and Rules

The Commission adopted rules for the closed captioning of video programming, pursuant to Section 713 of the Communications Act. To implement this section, the Commission added new rule part 79, which became effective January 1, 1998. Pursuant to Section 79.1, the Commission adopted implementation schedules, on a (per channel, calendar quarter basis) to ensure that video programming is accessible via closed captioning to persons with hearing disabilities. The rules provide a phasing-in of the captioning requirement over a number of years with benchmarks set at two year intervals.

All English language programming prepared or formatted for display on analog television and first shown on or after January 1, 1998, as well as programming prepared or formatted for display on digital television first published or exhibited after July 1, 2002 (“digital programming”) is considered “New Programming.” New Programming must be captioned according to the following benchmarks set by the Commission:

•. Between January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2005---1350 HOURS of programming per channel, per quarter is required.

• From January 1, 2006 and thereafter --- 100% of new programming must be closed captioned.

• With regard to Analog Pre-Rule Programming, which is programming produced before January 1, 1998 and Digital Pre-Rule Programming, which is programming prepared or formatted for display before July 1, 2002), we note that as of January 1, 2003, 30% of such programming must be captioned. As of January 1, 2008, and thereafter, 75% of all non-exempt pre-rule programming must be captioned.

Closed Captioning Fact Sheets

Consumer & Govenmental Affiars Bureau Fact Sheet Copies of FCC Documents The Electronic Comment Filing System allows you to view other comments that have been filed in FCC Docket and Rulemaking proceedings. These documents will also be available electronically in MS Word 6.0 and higher, MS Excel 4.0 and higher, Word Perfect 5.1 and higher, ASCII Text, and Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF). Official documents released by the FCC since March 1996 are posted on the Commission’s Web Site. To find a particular document, you can use the FCC Electronic Document Management System (EDOCS) to search the EDOCS database for documents posted on the Internet. Copies of FCC documents are available for public inspection and copying during regular business hours in the FCC Reference Center, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, S.W., CY-A257, Washington, D.C., 20554. The complete text of documents may be purchased from the Commission’s copy contractor, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room CY-B402, Washington, D.C. 20554. To request this document in accessible formats (computer diskettes, large print, audio recording, and Braille), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Commission’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY). Tracking your Comments After you have properly filed your comments with the FCC, they will be part of the official Commission record. To track the progress of proceedings in which you have filed comments, you may: request an Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) Proceeding History Report, check the Daily Digest or Federal Register for releases and notices, or use the FCC Electronic Document Management System (EDOCS) to search the database of EDOCS entries for FCC documents with a DA, FCC, or File number posted since March 1996. Further Assistance For questions concerning these guidelines for filing comments to the FCC, you may contact the Office of the Secretary at (202) 418-0300, TTY (202) 418-2960.