National Association of the Deaf

Consumers can now file complaints directly with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), thanks to new closed captioning complaint rules by the FCC effective February 19, 2010.  These new closed captioning rules, requested by the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and consumer groups in 2004, make it easier for consumers to report closed caption problems. When you see a television program that has no captions, missing captions, delayed captions, captions that are garbled, displayed too fast, or unreadable, please file a complaint with the FCC. 

Filing Closed Captioning Complaints

Closed captioning complaints must be filed within 60 days of the captioning problem.

File your complaint with the FCC.  The FCC will send your complaint to your video programming distributor (the TV station or your cable or satellite TV service).  The distributor must respond to your complaint within 30 days. 

Online
You can file your complaint by using the FCC’s online complaint form.

Email
File your complaint by email to fccinfo@fcc.gov

Fax
1-866-418-0232

Letter
Federal Communications Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Complaints
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554

Click here for more information about filing complaints, or call the FCC for assistance, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (eastern time), at 1-888-225-5322 or 1-888-835-5322 TTY.

See the Closed Captioning Factsheet for more information about closed captioning.

OR

You may file your complaint with the video programming distributor (the TV station or your cable or satellite TV service).  The distributor must respond to your complaint within 30 days.  If the distributor cannot solve the problem, or you are not satisfied with the response you receive (or if you receive no response), you can send your complaint to the FCC.

New Contact Information Requirements

The FCC also adopted new rules requiring video programming distributors to make their contact information available to consumers.  Specifically, video programming distributors are required to make two kinds of contact information available:

1. Contact information for the receipt and handling of immediate closed captioning concerns by consumers, such as when captions suddenly disappear or become garbled while watching a program.
2. Contact information for written closed captioning complaints.

This contact information must be provided on the video programming distributor’s website, in billing statements (when billing statements are issued), and when extended listings are published in telephone directories. 

Video programming distributors must provide this contact information to the FCC by March 22, 2010.  The FCC will publish a Public Notice when this contact information is available in a searchable database on the FCC website.  This contact information will also be available by calling the FCC call the FCC for assistance, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (eastern time), at 1-888-225-5322 or 1-888-835-5322 TTY.