Until recently, churches and religious broadcasters have been exempt from closed captioning requirements that would normally apply to TV shows, recorded sermons and church services, educational videos, and other video or audio programming. Religious organizations were sheltered by a blanket FCC exemption granted in 2006 after the Anglers for Christ Ministries successfully argued that closed captioning was an undue economic hardship.

On October 20, 2011 the FCC’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau overturned that decision, requiring religious organizations to comply with the same accessibility laws as other media publishers. Churches can still individually apply for an exemption if they can prove that they can’t afford closed captioning.

The Bureau’s rescindment was instigated by a coalition of advocacy groups for the deaf and hard of hearing. The coalition argued that the order “improperly and unilaterally established a new class of exempt programming.”

While advocates for the deaf are pleased that more programming will become accessible, some religious broadcasters are concerned that this move could shut down some programming because of the additional costs involved with captioning.

NRB TELECONFERENCE ADVISES ON CLOSED CAPTIONING

Manassas, VA – The National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) recently held a live teleconference to address the October 20th FCC Order that reversed closed captioning exemptions previously granted to a large number of Christian broadcasters and broadcast programmers.

“I am pleased that NRB, as part of our mission to our members and the greater religious broadcasting community, was able to offer this teleconference as a public service to Christian communicators, programmers, and TV stations,” said Dr. Frank Wright, NRB President & CEO. “It is imperative for them to understand the new regulatory landscape as the FCC’s deadline for action looms. The teleconference also offered NRB the opportunity to once again encourage Christian communicators to take a very proactive approach to sharing the Gospel of Christ with all people, and the hearing-impaired community is no exception.”

“Our goal in launching this teleconference was to educate Christian television programmers and stations on the current status of the FCC order which changed the terrain regarding the closed captioning exemption process,” said NRB Sr. Vice President & General Counsel Craig Parshall. “In addition, many religious broadcasters would like to reach out to the hearing-impaired community with their content but need more information to do that. I trust we provided that as well. As the FCC considers the next round of exemption petitions from those remaining religious broadcasters who simply cannot afford to close caption, I hope that the Commission will review them fairly, and realistically.”

About NRB

The National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) is a non-partisan, international association of Christian communicators whose member organizations represent millions of listeners, viewers, and readers. Our mission is to advance biblical truth; to promote media excellence; and to defend free speech. In addition to promoting standards of excellence, integrity, and accountability, NRB provides networking, educational, ministry, and fellowship opportunities for its members. Learn more at www.nrb.org.

About The NRB Convention

The annual Convention & Exposition is the largest nationally and internationally recognized event dedicated solely to assist those in the field of Christian communications. The dynamic Exposition consists of nearly 200 companies and is an active marketplace for those seeking tools and services to expand their organizations. NRB 2012 is being held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, TN, February 18 – 21, 2012. For registration and other Convention information go to: www.nrbconvention.org.

National Religious Broadcasters

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