Closed captioning makes audio content accessible by converting it into text content and displaying it on a visual display system. It converts the spoken dialogue or narration and includes sound effects, speaker identification, and music description. Closed captioning ensures that 36 million Americans who are deaf or hard of hearing can access audiovisual educational resources like podcasts of lectures or course content shared by colleges and universities or any audio portion of any television program.
Closed captioning makes audio-based information accessible to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Before the internet and the new media era, closed captioning was restricted to television broadcast providers. However, as new media entered the educational space, the need for closed captioning became prominent.
Since then, as most critical information is accessed over the Internet, the scope of accessibility standards has expanded. Different federal laws, like the FCC and ADA, have been expanded to ensure that academic recordings containing critical information are made accessible to students with disabilities. For deaf and hard-of-hearing students, this means closed captioning.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) standards for closed captioning are based on four pillars. These are:
- Accurate
- Synchronous
- Complete
- Properly placed
Read along to understand the FCC closed captioning best practices and how to meet FCC standards for your audiovisual content.
Understanding FCC Closed Captioning Requirements
Accuracy: FCC rules state that the caption must match accurately with the spoken words and convey the background sound with the fullest clarity. Here’s an example of closed captioning accuracy from Harvard University. For example, if you listen to the video below, you can see how the captions accurately match the audio.
Synchrony: The rule says the captions must be displayed at a speed that can be read by the viewer and must synchronize with the spoken words and sounds to the greatest possible extent.
Watch this video, for example. You’ll notice all the captions are played at a speed for easy reading. Moreover, they’re perfectly synchronized with the audio.
Completeness: This rule states that closed captioning must run from the beginning to the end of the program. Watch this video for example.
Closed Captioning at the beginning of the program
Closed captioning continues till the end of the program
Proper Placement: The closed captions should be placed on the screen so they do not block any other visual content, including faces, featured text, credits, or any other graphics crucial to understanding the content. This video is a perfect example of how closed captions are properly placed without blocking any essential visual cues.
Specific Requirements for Different Types of Programming
In addition to the guidelines mentioned above, the FCC has some specific requirements for different types of programming.
Pre-Recorded Programs
Full-Length Video Programming
Video programming originally shown on TV and reshown online must include captions when presented in its entirety over the Internet.
Video Clips
Clips of TV programming posted on websites or apps by distributors who air content on TV must be captioned. Third-party websites or apps are currently exempted from this requirement.
Consumer-Generated Media (e.g., Home Videos) on the Internet: Captioning is optional for consumer-generated media unless it was previously broadcasted on TV with captions.
Movies on the Internet: Movies streamed online only need captions if they were previously aired on TV with captions.
Live and Near-Live Programs
Live programming is defined as programs that are shown on TV live, i.e., simultaneously with the performance. Near-live programming is defined as recorded programs and telecasted within less than 24 hours.
FCC has specific mandates for such live and near-live programming. It states:
Video clips of live programming with up to a 12-hour delay can be posted captioned after they have been aired on TV.
Up to an 8-hour delay is acceptable for near-live programming clips in posting a captioned clip after the program first appeared on TV.
FCC Requirements for Internet Programming
FCC has set up different guidelines for internet programming. Here’s a synopsis:
Full-Length Videos
Full-length internet video programming should be captioned if it’s shown on US television with caption on or after the following dates:
- September 30, 2012, for prerecorded programming not "edited for Internet distribution." This means the TV version must have undergone substantial editing, like deleting scenes or altering background music.
- March 30, 2013, for live and near-live programming
- September 30, 2013, for prerecorded programming substantially edited for Internet distribution.
Video Clips
Video clips are excerpts of full-length video programming posted on the internet.
The FCC guideline states that video programming distributors that broadcast the program on TV must post captioned clips of the program either on their apps or their own websites. However, the rule doesn't apply if any third-party website or apps host it.
Archival Content
FCC has mandated certain deadlines for video programming that a distributor must adhere to for adding captions to video programming that they have already shown on the Internet and later shown on television with captions. The mandate says:
“Within 45 days after the date it is shown on TV with captions on or after March 30, 2014, and before March 30, 2015;
Within 30 days after the date, it is shown on TV with captions on or after March 30, 2015, and before March 30, 2016; and
Within 15 days after the date, it is shown on TV with captions on or after March 30, 2016.”
FCC Closed Captioning Best Practices to Follow
Adhering to FCC standards for closed captioning is non-negotiable, and violations can lead to hefty fines and penalties. In a recent case, the FCC Enforcement Bureau fined Pluto and ViacomCBS $3.5 million for violating the closed captioning mandate. Here’s what you can do to avoid such severe penalties and ensure compliance.
Choose a Reliable Captioning Service
Closed captioning tools not only help deaf or hard-of-hearing people access crucial information on the internet, but they’re also mandated by the FCC and ADA. Failing to do so can lead to reputation damage and costly lawsuits. For example, the National Association for the Deaf filed a lawsuit against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for not adhering to the ADA guidelines for closed captions.
But you can avoid such experiences by investing in a reliable captioning service. For example, Echo Labs is familiar with FCC closed captioning best practices and ADA guidelines and guarantees high accuracy. Echo Labs offers 99.8% accuracy in generating closed captions and can easily handle technical jargon and caption sound effects. The tool seamlessly integrates with tools like Canvas, Panopto, Blackboard, Moddle, Anthology, and Kaltura to create closed captions for thousands of videos in the shortest time.
Regular Audits and Reviews
Conduct regular audits and reviews to ensure all your videos have closed captions. Regular checks must be conducted to ensure all content meets FCC guidelines. Regularly review the FCC guidelines to ensure you’re not missing any important amends that can cause penalties.
Also, review the captions regularly for accuracy, including dialogue, background score, or any other graphical representation important in understanding the content. Verify if the captions are synchronized with the audio. Pay attention to user feedback and address genuine issues promptly for a better viewing experience.
Staff Training
Finally, it’s important to train your staff about the FCC's compliance requirements so that when they create or upload educational videos, they can verify if all the compliance mandates. Educate them about the importance of accurate captioning and the consequences that can happen if the standards are not met. Here’s an FCC standard checklist that you can share with your team and that they can keep handy.
FCC Standards for Closed Captioning Checklist
| Coverage | Full-length programing: Ensure all full-length programming shown on TV and distributed online is captioned, unless exempt. | Yes/No |
|---|---|---|
| Live and near live programming: Caption live and near-live programming, with captions provided within specific timeframes. | Yes/No | |
| Accuracy | Check for content accuracy | Yes/No |
| Check for spelling and grammar | Yes/No | |
| Synchronization | Check if captions are in synch with words/sounds | Yes/No |
| Check if captions are properly placed | Yes/No | |
| Presentation | Check for readability | Yes / No |
| Check if the captions are for enough time on screen to read clearly | Yes / No |
Challenges and Solutions
While it’s a must for universities and educational institutions to adhere to the FCC standards, certain challenges come up. Some of these are:
Live Captioning
One of the challenges with live captioning is the diversity of dialect and the speaker's accent, which can be difficult for an automated system to decipher and caption accurately. Homonyms can also confuse, leading to misinterpretation and inaccurate captioning.
For example, if the speaker says “there” but the captioning tool interprets it as “their” it can confuse the audience.
Live events held in public spaces with a live audience usually have an unpredictable environment. Music, applause, and background noise can further confuse the captioning technology. Finally, keeping up with the speed of the audio and captioning it with precision is challenging.
However, all these problems can be addressed by investing in captioning platforms like Echo Labs, which has already achieved 99.8% accuracy in a real-world environment.
See, what a happy client says!
"I tested out the platform with a video recently that, I thought for sure, it would struggle with. Instead it got the SRT files 100% correct and indeed completed the captions in the 24 hour turnaround time." —— Kevin Cleppe | California State University, San Bernardino
Multilingual Needs
Captioning in multiple languages has its own set of challenges. Different languages have different grammar rules and syntax. Different cultures have different idioms to express thoughts and ideas.
For example, “call a spade a spade” in English becomes “Appeler un chat un chat” in French, which literally means “call a cat a cat.” On top of all these, some video platforms might not support captioning in specific languages or have certain limitations.
Solution: You can tackle such problems by choosing the right transnational methods. For example, working with a native speaker can help you navigate the translation issues and ensure accurate captions. Consider localization to ensure the captions are accurate for the targeted audience.
Adhering to Compliance
While many cost-effective automatic speech recognition tools automatically translate and create closed captions, they often fail to adhere to different compliance guidelines. Failure to comply can lead to several issues, including penalties and lawsuits.
Solution: Invest in closed captioning tools that follow all the compliance guidelines. Having your staff trained in the closed captioning compliance guidelines can help you review whether all the captions are accurate before putting them up on the website.
Speaker Identification
Another challenge for closed captioning is speaker identification, especially in a group discussion or when multiple people are speaking simultaneously.
Solution: Here’s what a Reddit user mentions about navigating such challenges.
Stay FCC Compliant with Echo Labs
When creating closed captioning, it’s crucial to adhere to FCC standards that ask all closed captions to be Accurate, Synchronous, Complete, and Properly Placed. Non-compliance and failing to adhere to this guideline can lead to costly penalties, lawsuits, and reputational damage for the institution.
Invest in a closed captioning platform like Echo Labs that’s familiar with all FCC closed captioning best practices to mitigate non-compliance risk. Echo Lab’s cutting-edge technology ensures you are FCC and ADA-compliant with 9.8% accuracy. And did we say that it starts at just $0.70/minute?
Try it out yourself —- the first five hours are on us!