Why Captioning Matters for Community Media
Closed captioning is one of the most impactful things your station can do for your community. It makes your programming accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing, supports viewers who watch without sound, and helps viewers who are watching content in their second language. For many community media stations, it is also a legal requirement.
This article explains who captions are for and what regulations may apply to your station.
Who Benefits from Captions
Captions aren't just for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing. Captions also benefit:
Viewers in noisy environments, like a break room or a waiting area with a TV on in the background
Viewers watching on a mobile device without headphones
Viewers for whom English is a second language
Viewers with cognitive or attention-related differences who benefit from seeing words while they hear them
Research consistently shows that a large share of people who use captions do not identify as having a hearing disability. Building accessible content isn't a niche accommodation — it's building for how people actually watch.
What the Law Requires
FCC Closed Captioning Rules
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires closed captions on video programming distributed on television in the United States. This covers:
Pre-recorded programming
Live programming
Locally produced and distributed content
Community access and government channels distributed over cable are subject to these rules. If your station airs programming on a cable channel, FCC captioning requirements apply to that content.
Note: FCC rules have specific exemptions and timelines that vary based on programming type, channel size, and distribution method. The FCC's closed captioning webpage is the authoritative source for current requirements.
ADA Title II and Online Content
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II applies to state and local government entities, which include most public access and government-access stations. Under a rule finalized in 2024, local governments are required to make their web content and mobile apps meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. Compliance deadlines are staggered based on the size of the jurisdiction.
Under WCAG 2.1 AA, closed captions are required for all pre-recorded and live video content published online. This means captions are required not just for broadcast — they are required for video on demand on your Internet Channel, OTT app, and any other online platform where you publish your content.
Note: Compliance deadlines under ADA Title II vary based on the size of the government entity and have been updated since the rule was first published. Check the ADA.gov guidance on web accessibility for current timelines and requirements.
Section 508
Federal agencies and organizations receiving federal funding are also subject to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which has similar requirements for captions on video content. If your station or parent organization receives federal funding, Section 508 may apply in addition to ADA Title II.
Building Captioning into Your Workflow
Captioning requirements have expanded in recent years to include online video, not just broadcast. If your station is just getting started with captions, the good news is that Cablecast is designed to make captioning part of your regular workflow — not a separate task you have to manage on the side.
Getting captions in place early also means your content is accessible to the full range of viewers in your community from the start.
What Cablecast Offers
Cablecast supports several approaches to closed captioning, so you can choose the method that fits your programming and your station's resources:
Cablecast Closed Captioning — AI-generated captions for pre-recorded and live content, fully integrated into the Cablecast workflow
Sidecar caption files — Upload an existing caption file (such as an SRT or SCC file) and attach it to a Show Record
Third-party captioning — Bring in caption files from an external captioning service
The next article in this level, Choosing Your Captioning Approach, walks through each option so you can decide which is the right fit for your station.
Note: Cablecast provides tools to support your captioning workflow. Determining whether your station meets applicable legal requirements is something to discuss with your legal counsel or the relevant regulatory agency.