Broadcasters, cable programmers and others "want
regulators to write some exemptions into the FCC's closed
caption rules," according to Chris McConnell of BROADCASTING
& CABLE. Broadcasters told the FCC that "commercials,
regional sports and promos should not be subject to the
pending rules." In January, the FCC proposed a new set of
rules "aimed at boosting the availability of closed
captions." Mandated by the 1996 Telecommunications Act, the
proposal would require "most new TV programming" to be
closed captioned within eight years. The FCC said
broadcasters, cable operators and others "would be
responsible for complying with the rules," although the
commission also said it "expects program producers to
provide most of the captions" (BROADCASTING & CABLE, 3/10
issue). Various program providers say captioning is "more
economical and efficient at the production level," according
to David Hatch of ELECTRONIC MEDIA. For example, home
shopping channels say they should be exempt because they
"already provide on-screen text," public broadcasters want
exemptions for fund raising drives and Fox Sports "wants
out" because of what it calls "the difficulty and cost of
captioning regional sports" (ELECTRONIC MEDIA, 3/10 issue).
NACDA STATES ITS CASE: The National Association of
Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) submitted FCC
comments on March 4 on closed captioning. NACDA argued that
sports programming is "already significantly" closed
captioned "as a result of the live action and the graphics
inherent in the programming itself." NACDA added that
"unique problems" are created with mandating closed
captioning of sports such as "the lack of live captioners,
the need for special skills for new live closed captioners,
and the cost of live closed captioning." The summary
states: "College athletic programs which will be called upon
to support closed captioning generally are not financially
successful. The sports that are now shown on Regional
Sports Networks are new sports with a very small base of
viewers. And the RSNs themselves, if faced with the need to
caption, simply will not televise at all" (THE DAILY).
