[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 158 (Wednesday, August 14, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42249-42250]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-20640]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
[MM Docket No. 95-176, FCC 96-318]
Closed Captioning and Video Description of Video Programming
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Notice; Report to Congress.
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SUMMARY: Section 305 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 adds a new
section 713, Video Programming Accessibility, to the Communications Act
of 1934, as amended. Section 713 directs the Commission to conduct
inquiries and report to Congress on the accessibility of video
programming to persons with hearing and visual disabilities. On July
29, 1996, the Commission submitted its Report to Congress. As required
by Section 713, the Report provides information on the availability of
closed captioning for persons with hearing impairments and assesses the
appropriate methods for phasing video description into the marketplace
to benefit persons with visual disabilities. The Report is based on
information submitted by commenters in response to a Notice of Inquiry
in this docket and publicly available information. The Report is
intended to provide Congress with the Commission's findings regarding
closed captioning and video description of video programming as
mandated by Section 713.
ADDRESSES: Federal Communications Commission, 1919 M Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20554.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marcia Glauberman or John Adams, Cable
Services Bureau (202) 418-7200.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a synopsis of the Commission's
Report in MM Docket No. 95-176, FCC 96-318, adopted July 25, 1996, and
released on July 29, 1996. The full text of the Report is available for
inspection and copying during normal business hours in the FCC
Reference Center (Room 239), 1919 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.,
20554, and may also be purchased from the Commission's copy contractor,
International Transcription Service (``ITS, Inc.''), (202) 857-3800,
2100 M Street, N.W., Suite 140, Washington, D.C. 20037.
Synopsis of the Order
1. Section 305 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Public Law
104-104, 110 Stat. 56 (1996), adds a new section 713, Video Programming
Accessibility, to the Communications Act of 1934, as amended. Section
713(a) requires the Commission to report to Congress by August 6, 1996,
on the results of an inquiry conducted to ascertain the level at which
video programming is closed captioned. Specifically, Section 713(a)
directs the Commission to examine the extent to which existing or
previously published programming is closed captioned, the size of the
video programming provider or programming owner providing closed
captioning, the size of the market served, the relative audience shares
achieved and any other related factors.
2. The Commission also is required to establish regulations and
implementation schedules to ensure that video programming is fully
accessible through closed captioning within 18 months of the enactment
of the section on February 8, 1996. The Commission will initiate a
rulemaking proceeding to implement this provision within the next
several months with the issuance of a notice of proposed rulemaking in
order to prescribe regulations by August 8, 1997.
3. Section 713(f) requires the Commission to commence an inquiry
within six months after the date of enactment to examine the use of
video descriptions on video programming to ensure the accessibility of
video programming to persons with visual impairments. It requires the
Commission to report to Congress on its findings, including an
assessment of the appropriate methods and schedules for phasing video
descriptions into the marketplace, technical and quality standards for
video descriptions, a definition of programming for which video
descriptions would apply, and other technical and legal issues that the
Commission deems appropriate.
4. The Report is based on comments filed in response to a Notice of
Inquiry in this docket, summarized at 60 FR 65052 (December 18, 1995),
that sought comment on a wide range of issues relating to closed
captioning and video description of video programming and publicly
available information.
5. Key findings of the Report include:
Closed Captioning
The primary beneficiaries of closed captioning are the
approximately 22.4 million persons who are hearing disabled.
Between 50 and 60 million U.S. homes have access to closed
captioning. As a result of the Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990
and the Commission's implementing rules, all television receivers with
screen sizes 13 inches or larger must be capable of receiving and
displaying closed captions.
Through the efforts of Congress, government agencies and a
variety of private parties, captioned video programming has grown over
the past 25 years and is now a common feature of many video programming
types. Most nationally broadcast prime time television programming and
nationally broadcast children's programming news, daytime programming
and some sports programming, both commercial and noncommercial, is now
captioned. New feature films produced in the U.S. that will be
distributed by broadcast networks, cable networks, syndicators and
local stations following their theatrical release are now captioned at
the production stage. Local broadcast stations also frequently caption
the portions of their local newscasts that are scripted in advance.
Many of the national satellite cable programming networks distribute
programming containing closed captions.
Certain types of programming, however, are unlikely to be
captioned, including non-English language programming, home shopping
programming, weather programming that includes a large amount of visual
and graphic information, live sports, and music programming. Captions
are less likely to be included in programming intended to serve smaller
or specialized audience markets.
There is a wide range in the costs of closed captioning
that reflects the method of adding the captions, the quality of the
captions and the entity providing the captions. For pre-recorded
programming, estimates of the cost of captioning range from $800 to
$2500 per hour of programming. Estimates for the costs of captioning
live programming range from $150 to $1200 per hour. The Department of
Education provided about $7.9 million for closed captioning last year,
which represents roughly 40% of the total amount spent on captioning.
[[Page 42250]]
Video Description
Video description is an emerging service with only limited
availability today. In contrast with the widespread availability of
closed captioning, video descriptions are transmitted with only a small
number of programs. As a consequence, the present record on which to
assess video description is limited and the emerging nature of the
service renders definitive conclusions difficult. The general
accessibility of video description is dependent on the resolution of
certain technical, legal and cost issues.
There are approximately 8.6 million individuals who are
blind or visually disabled, according to the National Center for Health
Statistics, who might benefit from video description.
Not all broadcast stations or other video distributors are
able to transmit the secondary audio programming or ``SAP'' channel
needed to provide video description and only about half of the nation's
homes have a television with the capability to receive the SAP channel.
Currently, video description is only available on some Public
Broadcasting Service (``PBS'') programming and a limited number of
cable satellite programming networks.
Video description requires the development of a second
script containing the narration of actions taking place in the video
programming that are not reflected in the existing dialogue. The cost
of video description are approximately one and a half times the costs
associated with closed captioning similar programming.
Obstacles to the development of video description have
been the limited availability of SAP channels, the use of SAP channels
for other audio tracks, including non-English language programming,
limited funding by government and other sources and unresolved
copyright issues related to the creation of a second script.
The Commission will continue to monitor the deployment of
video description and the development of standards for new video
technologies that will afford greater accessibility of video
description. Specifically, the Commission will seek additional
information that will permit a better assessment of video description
in conjunction with its 1997 report to Congress assessing competition
in the video market place that is required by Section 628(g) of the
Communications Act.
Ordering Clauses
6. This Report is issued pursuant to authority contained in
Sections 4(i), 4(j), 403 and 713 of the Communications Act of 1934, as
amended, 47 U.S.C. Secs. 154(i), 154(j), 403 and 613.
7. It is ordered that the Secretary shall send copies of this
Report to the appropriate committees and subcommittees of the United
States House of Representatives and United States Senate.
Federal Communications Commission.
William F. Caton,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-20640 Filed 8-13-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-U
