Fe> PUBLIC NOTICE ~: ~& 'IJSA. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 445 12TH STREET, S.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20554 News media mformat1on 2027418-0::iOO Fax-On-Demand 2027418-2830 Internet: http:l/www.fee.gov ftp.fee.gov CABLE SERVICES BUREAU ACTION DA 99-822 May 3, 1999 CBS CORPORATION REQUESTS CLARIFICATION OF COMMISSION'S CLOSED CAPTIONING RULES The Commission has received a Request for Clarification from CBS Corporation asking that the Commission clarify the obligations of those program providers that used electronic newsroom (ENR) captioning during the first six months of 1997 and will not be permitted to count ENR captioning toward the applicable captioning benchmark requirements beginning January 1, 2000. CBS Corporation seeks an Order clarifying that these program providers, while encouraged to switch to real-time captioning, will be permitted to continue to use ENR captioning to fulfill their obligation to caption substantially the same amount of live programming as they captioned using this method in 1997, as long as they otherwise comply with applicable captioning benchmark requirements. See Jn re Closed Captioning and Video Description of Video Programming (MM 95-176), FCC 98-236 (released October 2, 1998), FCC 97-279 (released August 22, 1997). The Request for Clarification is available for public inspection m the Main Federal Communications Commission File Room: Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 The Request for Clarification also is available electronically on the Commission's website at http://www.fcc.gov/dtf/caption.html. Copies of the Request for Clarification and other pleadings are available for purchase from: ITS, Inc. 1231 20th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 857-3800 (202) 857-3805 facsimile http://www.itsi.com Parties may file responses to the Request for Clarification on or before June 2, 1999 and replies on or before June 12, 1999. Please place docket number MM 95-176 on all filings. Media Contact: Cable Services Bureau Contact: TTY: Morgan Broman at (202) 418-2358 Imani K. Ellis-Cheek at (202) 418-1028 (202) 418-7172 --FCC-- 7042