"This page is a digitally archived AccessInfo Announcement"
Comments due: June 28, 2024
Reply Comments due: July 5, 2024
On June 21, 2024, the FCC released a Public Notice seeking comment on TNT and TBS’s petition for limited waiver of the requirement to provide 87.5 hours of audio described programming per calendar quarter. This waiver request was developed collaboratively and supported by the American Council for the Blind and the National Federation for the Blind.
The requested waiver would be subject to the condition that the networks meet the following alternative minimum requirements for providing described programming:
- TBS:
(1) TBS would air at least 1,000 hours of described programming each quarter (and more than 1,400 hours of described programming on average per quarter over the waiver period) without regard to the number of repeats; and
(2) TBS would describe 100 percent of newly produced, non-live programming aired between 6:00 a.m. and midnight ET within three business days of its receipt from a production company.
- TNT:
(1) TNT would air at least 2,500 hours of audio described programming each year, without regard to the number of repeats; and
(2) TNT would describe 100 percent of newly produced, non-live programming aired between 6:00 a.m. and midnight ET within three business days of receipt for scripted programming, and seven business days for non-scripted programming.
Interested parties may file comments by accessing the Electronic Comment Filing System at https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings. All filings must reference MB Docket No. 11-43. People with disabilities who need assistance to file comments online may request assistance by email to FCC504@fcc.gov.
Link to the Public Notice:
URL: https://www.fcc.gov/document/mb-seeks-comment-tbs-and-tnt-audio-description-waiver-petition
For general information about audio description, visit https://www.fcc.gov/audio-description. For specific questions about this Public Notice, please contact Diana Sokolow, Policy Division, Media Bureau, (202) 418-2120, email Diana.Sokolow@fcc.gov. Individuals who use videophones and are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) may call the FCC’s ASL Consumer Support Line at (844) 432-2275 (videophone).