« Closed Captioning – Update | Main | Closed Captioning – Update »
Accessible Emergency Information
By advocacy | January 4, 2007
In the summer of 2006, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) distributed a Public Notice about closed captioning emergency information. According to that Public Notice, when big city TV stations say they tried, but failed to close caption emergency information, that was OK with the FCC.
That was not OK with the NAD.
The NAD, joined by other national consumer advocacy organizations, filed an official request that the FCC withdraw that Public Notice. The NAD, along with hundreds of people like you, protested this FCC action.
Our efforts were successful.
On December 29, 2006, the FCC issued a new Public Notice that talks about two requirements for TV program distributors:
(1) to caption 100% of all new non-exempt programs; and
(2) to caption or present visually all emergency information – information about floods, hurricanes, tornados, or other emergencies.
Major national broadcast networks (i.e., ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox) and their TV stations in the top 25 big city areas, as well as major national cable/satellite networks, must close caption all new non-exempt programs, including breaking news and emergency alerts. Big city TV stations must make best efforts to ensure that coverage of an emergency is captioned as soon as possible. This can be done by arranging in advance for closed captioning on short notice and by contacting the captioning service promptly. The new Public Notice gives examples of how TV stations can be ready to provide closed captioning quickly.
Deaf and hard of hearing people must have the same access to emergency information as any other viewer. When closed captioning is not provided, emergency information must be made accessible by some other visual presentation method. There are no exemptions from complying with this rule. For example, emergency information can be made accessible by using open captioning, crawls, scrolls that appear on the screen, already prepared signs, charts, or even handwritten information on a whiteboard. Visually accessible information is critically important so that viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing can be informed about and know how to respond to an emergency – for themselves and to help protect the life, health, safety, and property of family members, work associates, and others.
The NAD applauds the FCC for issuing this new Public Notice. This new Public Notice will help television stations understand what they must do – provide accessible emergency information through closed captioning or other visual presentation methods – and how they can prepare to provide closed captioning quickly.
For more information about the closed captioning and access to emergency information rules, see http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/closedcaption.html and http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/emergencyvideo.html.
Topics: General |
January 4th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
Thanks so much for your activism anmd advocacy! I ve experienced some emergencies in which I was in the dark about and one immediately comes to my mind…9/11. The inital broadcasts were not captioned.
January 4th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
Many thanks for getting FCC to issue a new Public Notice.
January 5th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
YAY! I am very proud of FCC is now strictly
enforced to require all emergency/breaking
news is 100% non-exempt is even required, it
is only in top 25 markets! I am inside the
25 top market, whoo-yay! I remember in some
years ago, there were not captioned on Emergency/breaking news until now! Hurrah, we succeeding
on my complaint to FCC about their
TV stations! Good to news for deaf and
hard-of-hearing people, even although,
for hearing people who cannot hear enough;
low volumes; or something has sound effects
by thundering; or something else.
That’s all!
January 24th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
Great job, NAD!