The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) new “readily accessible” requirement for closed captioning display settings will take effect in August of 2026.
The rule is designed to better enable individuals with disabilities to access video programming through closed captioning.
The new rule puts in place requirements for the display of closed captions that make it simpler for viewers to access the settings of many covered devices to adjust the captions’ font, size, color and other features. Besides televisions and set-top boxes, covered devices include any device manufactured or used in the United States designed to receive or play back video transmitted with sound.
“Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals and advocacy groups have told us how it’s difficult to find the closed captioning display features on a device,” said FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. “And, frankly, anyone who has ever watched video programming knows the experience of pressing multiple buttons on a remote, or going through multiple settings on a smartphone or tablet, in order to get to the menu you actually want.”
The FCC evaluated four factors in determining whether caption display settings are readily accessible. Those factors, described in a joint proposal between the Internet & Television Association and a coalition of consumer groups, are proximity, discoverability, previewability and consistency and persistence.
- Proximity looks at the number of steps required to access closed captioning display settings as well as whether the settings are available on the same device as the video programming.
- Discoverability takes into consideration whether it is simple and intuitive for viewers to find closed captioning display settings.
- Previewability considers whether viewers can preview the appearance of closed captions on their screens while changing the closed captioning display settings.
- Consistency and persistence involve whether access to the display settings is consistent across devices and platforms and across different applications on the same device and persistent over time.
Both manufacturers of covered apparatus and multichannel video programming distributors will be responsible for compliance with the rule.