Fact · Transcription
The FCC rule says captions must start when the speech or sounds start and end about when they end.
Checked against its source on October 17, 2026
In the source's own words
“Captions shall begin to appear at the time that the corresponding speech or sounds begin and end approximately when the speech or sounds end”
47 CFR 79.1: Closed captioning of televised video programming (captioning quality standards), US Federal Communications Commission, Code of Federal Regulations (text via Cornell Legal Information Institute), n.d., 79.1(j)(2)(ii), Synchronicity.
Open the original- What it measures
- Synchronicity is the second standard. A caption that appears a few seconds late can be out of step with the picture even when the words are right.
- What it does not show
- Live programming gets some leeway under the rule, which asks that caption delay be kept to a minimum.