Accessible Emergency Information, and Apparatus Requirements for Emergency Information and Video Description: Implementation of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010
Key claim: The FCC proposes to revise the Audible Crawl Rule to allow video programming providers to satisfy emergency information accessibility requirements by conveying a textual crawl aurally, as an alternative to a separate secondary audio stream.
Abstract
(Proposed Rule · Federal Communications Commission) In this document, the Commission proposes to revise the Audible Crawl Rule, which requires video programming providers and distributors to make non-textual visual emergency information provided during non-newscast programming accessible via a secondary audio stream. The revised rule would provide that the accessibility requirement is met if a textual crawl provides emergency information duplicative of or equivalent to non-textual visual emergency information, so long as the textual crawl is also conveyed aurally.
Why this matters
The Audible Crawl Rule governs how emergency information (weather alerts, evacuation notices, etc.) reaches blind and visually impaired viewers, so any change directly affects both broadcaster compliance burdens and consumer access during emergencies. Allowing an aural rendering of the crawl itself, rather than mandating a separate secondary audio stream, could lower technical barriers for smaller programmers while raising questions about consistency of delivery across distribution platforms.