FCC may mandate online closed captioning

This month, the FCC will vote to expand rules for closed captioning online video.

Accessibility is a major concern of Chairman Tom Wheeler. Earlier this year, the commission voted to allow text messaging, as well as voice, to emergency agencies. At the time, Wheeler said “... to my hearing impaired friends, I just want to say one thing: This is only the start.”

Since 2012, any full-length movies, TV shows or other visual media that originally ran with closed captioning, must display those captions on any web rebroadcast. But clips or short media were left untouched. Now that media companies have complied with the 2012 ruling, Wheeler seeks to add all video clips that appeared on TV with captions.

“Those who hear with their eyes should not be disadvantaged in their ability to access video information on the Internet,” Wheeler said.

Speed Matters believes that the Internet should be as widely accessible as our technologies permit.

FCC moves to caption the Web (The Hill, Jun. 29, 2014)