Earlier this month at NRB Proclaim 17, we hosted a brief talk with broadcasters regarding the most updated FCC laws pertaining to closed captioning. Although it was intended as a review of the laws that are already in place, it proved that many of the laws are still not known, or unclear, to many broadcasters.

The talk was hosted at the Learning Arena located in the vendor exhibit hall. The goal of the Learning Arena is to foster true interaction between exhibiting companies and convention participants to share and connect; highlighting relevant education and training.

Hosted by Aberdeen’s President, Matt Cook, we reviewed:

• The newest FCC Laws on closed captioning and how the shared responsibilities affect BOTH stations and producers.
• A review of the FCC’s captioning requirements implemented in February of 2015 focused on quality & certification.
• The latest laws pertaining to the closed captioning of online video, including the last month’s requirements on video clips.

Your Questions, Our Answers

We took in several questions at the close of the talk. Numerous questions pertaining to accuracy; specifically, the 99% accuracy guarantee advertised by many low-cost captioning vendors. Our response to that question can be found in the “The Problem with 99% Accurate” section of our blog on FCC Shared Responsibilities: Caption Quality & Certification.

There was also a question on whether producers still need to submit certificates of compliance with their airing stations. It is in best practice to make your certificates widely available to all interested parties. To start, posting a letter of compliance on your website is essential. Secondly, although the responsibility of collecting the certificates is no longer the obligation of the stations, some still do ask for one. And sometime later this year, the FCC will launch its portal where video programmers will need to register directly with the Commission.

That exact date is yet to be announced.

Thank you to all that attended and visited us at our exhibit with your questions afterward. If you missed us at NRB, we’ll be exhibiting at NAB Show in Las Vegas April 24 – 27 at booth #SL11805. Or we’re always available for your questions. Contact us.