Media Bureau Sets Deadline for Closed Captioning Compliance on Aug 1, 2026
FCC Announces New Closed Captioning Accessibility Rules
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced new rules aimed at enhancing the viewing experience for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing. The new rules, adopted in a Report and Order (R&O) released on July 19, 2022, are part of the FCC's ongoing efforts to make television more accessible to individuals with disabilities.
The new rules focus on making closed captioning display settings readily accessible by Aug. 1, 2026. This requirement applies to manufacturers of covered apparatus, such as televisions, set-top boxes, and any device designed to receive or play back video transmitted with sound, as well as multichannel video programming distributors.
The new "readily accessible" requirement is intended to make it easier for viewers with hearing impairments to find and adjust the closed captioning controls. The new rules simplify the process by allowing viewers to control font, size, color, and other features of the captions.
While the new rules do not introduce new closed captioning accessibility mandates, they do remove regulatory requirements that applied to obsolete analog devices. The FCC's Direct Final Rule, which took effect following a short 10-day comment period after its Federal Register publication on August 4, 2025, eliminates 18 obsolete regulatory provisions related to archaic technologies like analog TV captioning, telegraph services, and telephone booths.
It is important to note that the eliminated closed captioning regulation pertained only to analog TV closed caption decoders, which have become obsolete with the transition to digital technologies. Modern devices such as digital TV receivers, streaming devices, smartphones, and other digital display equipment are not affected by these deletions and remain subject to current captioning accessibility requirements under FCC rules and the Communications Act.
The FCC's new closed captioning accessibility rules are a significant step towards ensuring that individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing have equal access to television programming. The commission's Media Bureau has set a compliance deadline of Aug. 1, 2026, for manufacturers of covered apparatus and multichannel video programming distributors to make closed captioning display settings readily accessible.
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References: [1] Federal Communications Commission, "In the Matter of Closed Captioning of Video Programming Provided by Multichannel Video Programming Distributors," FCC 22-79 (2022). [2] Federal Communications Commission, "FCC Eliminates Outdated Closed Captioning Decoder Requirements for Analog TV Receivers," Press Release (2025). [3] Federal Communications Commission, "FCC Adopts 'Delete, Delete, Delete' Initiative to Modernize and Streamline Regulatory Framework," Press Release (2023). [4] Federal Communications Commission, "FCC Eliminates Regulatory Provisions Related to Archaic Technologies," Federal Register (2025). [5] Federal Communications Commission, "FCC Eliminates Regulatory Provisions Related to Telegraph Services and Telephone Booths," Federal Register (2024).
- The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced new rules for closed captioning accessibility on television media, aiming to enhance the viewing experience for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- The new rules target the accessibility of closed captioning display settings on televisions, set-top boxes, and other devices designed to receive or play back video content by August 1, 2026.
- Under the new rules, viewers with hearing impairments can control font, size, color, and other features of the captions, making the process simpler.
- The FCC's new rules remove regulatory requirements that applied to obsolete analog technologies like analog TV captioning, telegraph services, and telephone booths, but modern devices like digital TV receivers, streaming devices, smartphones, and other digital display equipment remain subject to current captioning accessibility requirements.
