New closed captioning regulations coming into effect

SAN FRANCISCO In order to better serve our hearing impaired viewers, and to comply with newly established Internet protocol (IP) regulations and guidelines from the Federal Communications Commission KGO-TV is now presenting captions on all full-length pre-recorded video programming that has been broadcast on television and has not been edited for the Internet.

It's the first phase in a set of new rules from the Federal Communications Commission, requiring distributors of television programming to provide closed captioning to assist viewers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing as part of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA).

The Station is committed to full compliance with the FCC regulations on the CVAA, and we will continue to advise viewers of our plans on this website in the coming months.

For more information visit, the FCC's page on Captioning of Internet Programming. It's the first phase in a set of new rules from the Federal Communications Commission, requiring distributors to provide closed captioning to assist viewers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing as part of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA).

The act includes a series of mandates that will roll out over the coming months. They are as follows:

• Pre-recorded video programming that is not "edited for the Internet" must be captioned on the Internet if it is shown on TV with captions on or after September 30, 2012. "Edited for the Internet" means the TV version has been substantially edited. Examples of editing for this purpose are: deleting scenes or altering musical scores. Changing the number or duration of commercials is not considered "editing" for this purpose. Examples of video not edited for the Internet include public affairs shows, and long-form programming like debates.

• March 30, 2013: Live and near-live video programming must be captioned on the Internet if it is shown on TV with captions on or after March 30, 2013. Near-live video programming is defined as programming that is performed and recorded less than 24 hours before being shown on TV for the first time.
• September 30, 2013: Prerecorded programming that is edited for Internet distribution, meaning that 100 percent of new video programming shown on television with captions must have captions when aired online.

Furthermore, starting in 2014, archival video programming that is re-shown on television will need to adhere to specific captioning deadlines. The time period within which re-aired archival footage will need to be close captioned on the web will decrease steadily from 45 days down to 15 days between 2014 and 2016.

In addition, by Jan. 1, 2014, the rules require that covered "apparatus" (including computers, smart phones, tablets, DVD and Blu-ray players, and any physical device capable of receiving or playing back video programming simultaneously with sound) sold or manufactured in the United States must have closed captioning capability.

For more information visit, the FCC's page on Captioning of Internet Programming. -->