Microsoft urged the FCC to maintain a workable...
Microsoft urged the FCC to maintain a workable scope and apportionment of responsibility in any online video clip closed-captioning requirements. An order requiring IP clip closed-captioning rules is planned for the FCC meeting July 11 (CD June 18 p10). The…
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company asked the FCC to adopt for video clips the same exemption that exists in the TV closed captioning rules for promotional material, it said Wednesday in an ex parte filing in docket 11-154 (http://bit.ly/1sFe1Ee). Promotional trailers have a short shelf life and limited economic value and “are of less utility to consumers,” it said. Microsoft backed the views of NCTA and NAB, which also lobbied the commission (http://bit.ly/TjCnTt), that the FCC shouldn’t regulate video clips on third-party sites and applications. The widespread distribution of clips and lack of central control “mitigates against regulating content on third-party distribution platforms,” it said: If the commission views this question differently, it should retain the current allocation of responsibility between video programming owners and video programming distributors established in the existing IP closed captioning rules. Industry commenters have yet to provide a definition for “time-sensitive” video clips “that might warrant a grace period for posting captions,” said Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in an ex parte filing (http://bit.ly/1pjNhaL). TDI reiterated its strong objections to any broad categorization of “time-sensitive” clips. The commission needs to limit the length of any grace period, “and to ensure that the period becomes smaller over time and eventually sunsets,” it said. No commenter offered a specific proposal for possible relief or any evidence to support concerns of potential impact of a clip-captioning requirement on small broadcasters, TDI said. The filing recounted a phone call with staff from Chairman Tom Wheeler’s office and from the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau.