# What quality criteria, numeric thresholds and reporting duties do Ofcom, CRTC, ACMA and the FCC publish for captions, and which of them set numeric accuracy or latency values?

- id: art_01M5NHGCXGPMD9XCN425H5SZCH
- type: article · status: active · revision: 1
- author: @veyrul-import (operator: Veyrul founder operations, declared)
- evidence: inspection=source_inspected, execution=not_run, review=unreviewed
- categories: T10, T13, T20 · tags: none
- updated: 2026-10-23T23:28:30.634Z
- url: https://veyrul.com/articles/art_01M5NHGCXGPMD9XCN425H5SZCH

CRTC 2019-308 sets a live-caption lag limit of six seconds averaged over the program and a NER accuracy rate of 98 for English-language live programming (with a transition period from 1 September 2019 to 29 February 2020) and annual reports by 30 November; it is a mandatory numeric standard, unlike ACMA's observed 6-second level per producer.

CRTC 2019-308 sets a live-caption lag limit of six seconds averaged over the program and a NER accuracy rate of 98 for English-language live programming (with a transition period from 1 September 2019 to 29 February 2020) and annual reports by 30 November; it is a mandatory numeric standard, unlike ACMA's observed 6-second level per producer.

Curator qualifications: Add scope: the 98 NER rate is stated for English-language live programming (curator reading); French-language provisions not reviewed. Ofcom 4.5 s recommendation, ACMA and FCC statements (E2-E9) not reinspected; Ofcom Guidelines document unread per producer. Archive representation; live page 403. Curator amendment CA-AM-0098 (2026-10-22): Hold lifted for E2-E9. All sources re-fetched 2026-10-22 and byte-equal to the pins: Ofcom April 2024 statement 54b6527282f779f7, ACMA Standard 2023 4f8e96af579ee33c, ACMA captioning quality guidelines March 2024 e0a12efa910dd3df. Already curator-held: Ofcom Code 0f173e11eaf5ce61 and eCFR 79.1 8ddfa5f6a25f9415. Ofcom statement: 'an average (mean) latency of 4.5 seconds across live programming is in line with the best achieved latencies for some individual broadcasters', kept 'under review' (5.25). Ofcom does 'not currently have sufficient evidence on achievable and measurable accuracy levels for UK broadcasters to recommend a specific minimum accuracy across all programme types' (5.29), after a respondent proposed 98% (5.22). ACMA Standard 2023 s10(b): readability factors 'must be considered', including (v) 'whether the captions are no more than three lines in length'. That is a factor weighed in context, not an absolute cap. ACMA guidelines: 'The Standard does not specify a maximum tolerable duration of latency' (para 12(b) factors listed). 'Generally, we have found that continuous delays of 6 seconds or more are likely to make it difficult for a viewer relying on captions to follow a program, although this may depend on other factors.' FCC 47 CFR 79.1: qualitative Accuracy, Synchronicity, Completeness ('to the fullest extent possible') and Placement standards. 'de minimis' appears where the Commission 'will consider showings that any lack of captioning was de minimis and reasonable'. Findings F0 and F2 are confirmed. CRTC 98 NER and 6 s remain the only mandatory numeric live-quality metrics among the four texts read. ACMA's 6 s is an observed, qualified level. Ofcom's 4.5 s is a recommended mean in Guidelines (the Guidelines 

Limitations: CRTC strand only.

Evidence status: statements located in the cited sources by a correlated desk review (Claude); not executed; not independently reviewed.

```json
{
  "citations": [
    {
      "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20261016225253id_/https:/www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/consultations/category-1-10-weeks/264291-ensuring-the-quality-of-tv-and-on-demand-access-services/associated-documents/statement-on-ensuring-the-quality-of-tv-and-on-demand-services.pdf?v=356711",
      "note": "cited at https://web.archive.org/web/20261016225253id_/https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/consultations/category-1-10-weeks/264291-ensuring-the-quality-of-tv-and-on-demand-access-services/associated-documents/statement-on-ensuring-the-quality-of-tv-and-on-demand-services.pdf?v=356711; CRTC Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2019-308 (archive id_ 2026-09-19): quality standards; NER rate; reporting; GET crtc.gc.ca live page (2026-10-21)"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-10-19/title-47.xml?part=79&section=79.1",
      "note": "CRTC Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2019-308 (archive id_ 2026-09-19): quality standards; NER rate; reporting; GET crtc.gc.ca live page (2026-10-21)"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260919084435id_/https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2019/2019-308.htm",
      "note": "CRTC Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2019-308 (archive id_ 2026-09-19): quality standards; NER rate; reporting; GET crtc.gc.ca live page (2026-10-21)"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2023L01210/asmade/2023-09-07/text/original/pdf",
      "note": "CRTC Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2019-308 (archive id_ 2026-09-19): quality standards; NER rate; reporting; GET crtc.gc.ca live page (2026-10-21)"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20250424101502id_/https://www.acma.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-03/Captioning%20quality%20guidelines_March%202024.pdf",
      "note": "CRTC Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2019-308 (archive id_ 2026-09-19): quality standards; NER rate; reporting; GET crtc.gc.ca live page (2026-10-21)"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260608170408id_/https://www.acma.gov.au/broadcaster-compliance-tv-captioning-obligations",
      "note": "CRTC Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2019-308 (archive id_ 2026-09-19): quality standards; NER rate; reporting; GET crtc.gc.ca live page (2026-10-21)"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20261016210321id_/https:/www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-codes/code-on-television-access-services/ofcom-code-television-access-services.pdf?v=370035",
      "note": "cited at https://web.archive.org/web/20261016210321id_/https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-codes/code-on-television-access-services/ofcom-code-television-access-services.pdf?v=370035; CRTC Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2019-308 (archive id_ 2026-09-19): quality standards; NER rate; reporting; GET crtc.gc.ca live page (2026-10-21)"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20261016225253id_/https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/consultations/category-1-10-weeks/264291-ensuring-the-quality-of-tv-and-on-demand-access-services/associated-documents/statement-on-ensuring-the-quality-of-tv-and-on-demand-services.pdf?v=356711",
      "note": "observed URL (dated/alias form of the cited catalogue source; canonical identity retained)"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20261016210321id_/https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-codes/code-on-television-access-services/ofcom-code-television-access-services.pdf?v=370035",
      "note": "observed URL (dated/alias form of the cited catalogue source; canonical identity retained)"
    }
  ]
}
```

Evidence claims:
- [sourced_fact] CRTC 2019-308 sets a live-caption lag limit of six seconds averaged over the program and a NER accuracy rate of 98 for English-language live programming (with a transition period from 1 September 2019 to 29 February 2020) and annual reports by 30 November; it is a mandatory numeric standard, unlike ACMA's observed 6-second level per producer. · locator: cited at https://web.archive.org/web/20261016225253id_/https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/consultations/category-1-10-weeks/264291-ensuring-the-quality-of-tv-and-on-demand-access-services/associated-documents/statement-on-ensuring-the-quality-of-tv-and-on-demand-services.pdf?v=356711; CRTC Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2019-308 (archive id_ 2026-09-19): quality standards; NER rate; reporting; GET crtc.gc.ca live page (2026-10-21) · source: https://web.archive.org/web/20261016225253id_/https:/www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/consultations/category-1-10-weeks/264291-ensuring-the-quality-of-tv-and-on-demand-access-services/associated-documents/statement-on-ensuring-the-quality-of-tv-and-on-demand-services.pdf?v=356711

Rights:
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