TELEVISION DECODER CIRCUITRY ACT OF 1990
In 1990 a law was passed that required all television sets 13 inches or larger manufactured in the United States to have a built-in caption decoder chip. The act took effect in July 1993, and it is believed that nearly all homes in the U.S. now have caption-capable television sets.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA)
The 1990 law mandates that all educational and instructional videotapes be accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing population. Organizations must provide appropriate auxiliary aids and services where necessary to allow an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to participate in and enjoy the benefits of a service, program or activity conducted by a public entity. The ADA applies to state and local governments as well as public and some private organizations.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1996
Congress passed the Telecommunications Act in February 1996. This act and its subsequent updates contain the mandates for captioning. Generally, these acts mandate that captioning be initially implemented in the largest broadcast markets over a transition period. There are many exceptions. If public funds are involved, captioning must be implemented. If an organization can prove an undue financial hardship caused by these acts, exceptions may be granted. A portion from the ACT:

(i) Between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2001, a video programming distributor shall provide at least 450 hours of captioned video programming or all of its new nonexempt video programming must be provided with captions, whichever is less; (ii) Between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2003, a video programming distributor shall provide at least 900 hours of captioned video programming or all of its new nonexempt video programming must be provided with captions, whichever is less; (iii) Between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2005, a video programming distributor shall provide at least an average of 1350 hours of captioned video programming or all of its new nonexempt video programming must be provided with captions, whichever is less; and (iv) As of January 1, 2006, and thereafter, 100% of the programming distributor's new nonexempt video programming must be provided with captions.

SECTION 504 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973
This act prohibits discrimination in programs benefiting from government financial assistance including but not limited to libraries, hospitals, schools, and government offices. This applies to all federal, state and local governments.


FCC STANDARDS FOR CLOSED CAPTIONING ON DTV
Read about the FCC amended rules regarding requirements for Digital Television.


FOR RECENT FCC REGULATIONS AFFECTING CAPTIONING
Visit the FCC Web site for more information - http://www.fcc.gov
Consumers who notice a producer or broadcaster that is not meeting FCC requirements may write to:



Federal Communications Commission
Consumer Information Bureau
445 12th St., SW, Washington, DC 20554
(Voice) 1.888.225.5322 or (TTY) 1.888.835.5322
access@fcc.gov


TAX CREDITS
Tax credits are available to certain organizations that provide captioning. Form 8826, the Disabled Access Credit, from the IRS can be downloaded from the IRS website. Click here to download Form 8826.