What are the FCC's four caption quality standards?

accuracy, synchronicity, completeness, placement — set out at 47 CFR 79.1(j)(2) — caption quality standards, adopted by FCC 14-12 (2014). They apply to video programming distributed on US television, and — through 47 CFR 79.4 — clips of that programming redistributed online.

Which of them can be checked from a caption file?

Accuracy: not evaluated. Deciding whether the words are right means comparing them to the audio. This engine never sees the audio and will not assert accuracy from the text alone. Synchronicity: partly checked. Readable speed is fully decidable from the file. Coinciding with the spoken word is not — that half needs the audio. Completeness: partly checked. Gaps and a late start are arithmetic. Whether a stretch with no captions was silence or dropped dialogue needs the audio, and coverage against programme length needs a known duration. Placement: partly checked. Line count and dropped positioning are visible in the file. Whether a caption covers a lower third or a scoreboard needs the video.

Why is accuracy never marked as passing?

Accuracy cannot be settled from a caption file, because that comparison needs the audio. Reporting it as not evaluated is a deliberate scope boundary rather than a gap waiting to be filled.

Last updated August 28, 2026 (UTC)

The FCC's four caption quality standards

The FCC has held captions to four quality standards since 2014. They are the clearest published articulation of what “good captions” means, which is why they get cited far outside the broadcast context they bind — and why it matters to be exact about which of them any given tool can actually decide.

The four standards

FCC caption quality standards and what a caption file can settle
Criterion	What it requires	What a caption file can settle
79.1(j)(2)(i)Accuracy	Captioning shall match the spoken words in their original language, and convey background noises and other sounds, to the greatest extent possible.	Not evaluatedNothing in a caption file can settle this. It is reported as not evaluated and is never marked passed.Deciding whether the words are right means comparing them to the audio. This engine never sees the audio and will not assert accuracy from the text alone.
79.1(j)(2)(ii)Synchronicity	Captioning shall coincide with the corresponding spoken words and sounds, and be displayed at a speed that can be read by viewers.	Partly checkedThe file can show this failing, but cannot show it passing. No findings means nothing detectable is wrong — not that the criterion is met.Readable speed is fully decidable from the file. Coinciding with the spoken word is not — that half needs the audio.
79.1(j)(2)(iii)Completeness	Captioning shall run from the beginning to the end of the programme, to the fullest extent possible.	Partly checkedThe file can show this failing, but cannot show it passing. No findings means nothing detectable is wrong — not that the criterion is met.Gaps and a late start are arithmetic. Whether a stretch with no captions was silence or dropped dialogue needs the audio, and coverage against programme length needs a known duration.
79.1(j)(2)(iv)Placement	Captioning shall not block other important on-screen information, and shall not run off the edge of the video screen.	Partly checkedThe file can show this failing, but cannot show it passing. No findings means nothing detectable is wrong — not that the criterion is met.Line count and dropped positioning are visible in the file. Whether a caption covers a lower third or a scoreboard needs the video.

Cited from 47 CFR 79.1(j)(2) — caption quality standards, adopted by FCC 14-12 (2014) — read the regulation. Applies to video programming distributed on US television, and — through 47 CFR 79.4 — clips of that programming redistributed online.

Why one of them can never be marked passed

Accuracy cannot be reached from a sidecar file at all. Deciding whether the words are right means comparing them to the audio, and this engine never sees the audio.

So it is reported as not evaluated on every receipt issued, permanently, by design. That is a scope boundary rather than a gap waiting to be filled — and any tool that certifies caption accuracy without listening to the audio is overstating what it did.

Does this apply to your video?

79.1 binds video programming distributed on US television, and through 47 CFR 79.4 the clips of that programming redistributed online. A university, agency or business publishing original video to its own site is generally looking at the ADA and WCAG instead — see evidencing ADA Title II captions and checking captions against WCAG 2.1 AA.

The four standards remain a useful vocabulary either way. “Synchronicity” is a more precise thing to ask a vendor for than “good timing”, and reading speed is the half of it you can settle from the file you were sent.

What this is not. A conformance receipt is evidence of what was checked, by which engine, against which version of which standard, and what it found. It is not a legal opinion, an audit, or a safe harbour. CaptionPass reads the caption file and never the audio, so anything that needs the audio — above all whether the captions match what was said — is reported as not evaluated rather than assumed.

Common questions

What are the FCC's four caption quality standards?: accuracy, synchronicity, completeness, placement — set out at 47 CFR 79.1(j)(2) — caption quality standards, adopted by FCC 14-12 (2014). They apply to video programming distributed on US television, and — through 47 CFR 79.4 — clips of that programming redistributed online.
Which of them can be checked from a caption file?: Accuracy: not evaluated. Deciding whether the words are right means comparing them to the audio. This engine never sees the audio and will not assert accuracy from the text alone. Synchronicity: partly checked. Readable speed is fully decidable from the file. Coinciding with the spoken word is not — that half needs the audio. Completeness: partly checked. Gaps and a late start are arithmetic. Whether a stretch with no captions was silence or dropped dialogue needs the audio, and coverage against programme length needs a known duration. Placement: partly checked. Line count and dropped positioning are visible in the file. Whether a caption covers a lower third or a scoreboard needs the video.
Do the FCC standards apply to online video?: They apply to video programming distributed on US television, and — through 47 CFR 79.4 — clips of that programming redistributed online. A university or business publishing original video to its own site is generally looking at the ADA and WCAG rather than at 79.1, though the four standards remain a useful vocabulary for what "good captions" means.
Why is accuracy never marked as passing?: Accuracy cannot be settled from a caption file, because that comparison needs the audio. Reporting it as not evaluated is a deliberate scope boundary rather than a gap waiting to be filled.

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Last updated August 28, 2026 (UTC)

The FCC's four caption quality standards

The four standards

FCC caption quality standards and what a caption file can settle
Criterion	What it requires	What a caption file can settle
79.1(j)(2)(i)Accuracy	Captioning shall match the spoken words in their original language, and convey background noises and other sounds, to the greatest extent possible.	Not evaluatedNothing in a caption file can settle this. It is reported as not evaluated and is never marked passed.Deciding whether the words are right means comparing them to the audio. This engine never sees the audio and will not assert accuracy from the text alone.
79.1(j)(2)(ii)Synchronicity	Captioning shall coincide with the corresponding spoken words and sounds, and be displayed at a speed that can be read by viewers.	Partly checkedThe file can show this failing, but cannot show it passing. No findings means nothing detectable is wrong — not that the criterion is met.Readable speed is fully decidable from the file. Coinciding with the spoken word is not — that half needs the audio.
79.1(j)(2)(iii)Completeness	Captioning shall run from the beginning to the end of the programme, to the fullest extent possible.	Partly checkedThe file can show this failing, but cannot show it passing. No findings means nothing detectable is wrong — not that the criterion is met.Gaps and a late start are arithmetic. Whether a stretch with no captions was silence or dropped dialogue needs the audio, and coverage against programme length needs a known duration.
79.1(j)(2)(iv)Placement	Captioning shall not block other important on-screen information, and shall not run off the edge of the video screen.	Partly checkedThe file can show this failing, but cannot show it passing. No findings means nothing detectable is wrong — not that the criterion is met.Line count and dropped positioning are visible in the file. Whether a caption covers a lower third or a scoreboard needs the video.

Why one of them can never be marked passed

Accuracy cannot be reached from a sidecar file at all. Deciding whether the words are right means comparing them to the audio, and this engine never sees the audio.

Does this apply to your video?

Common questions

What are the FCC's four caption quality standards?: accuracy, synchronicity, completeness, placement — set out at 47 CFR 79.1(j)(2) — caption quality standards, adopted by FCC 14-12 (2014). They apply to video programming distributed on US television, and — through 47 CFR 79.4 — clips of that programming redistributed online.
Which of them can be checked from a caption file?: Accuracy: not evaluated. Deciding whether the words are right means comparing them to the audio. This engine never sees the audio and will not assert accuracy from the text alone. Synchronicity: partly checked. Readable speed is fully decidable from the file. Coinciding with the spoken word is not — that half needs the audio. Completeness: partly checked. Gaps and a late start are arithmetic. Whether a stretch with no captions was silence or dropped dialogue needs the audio, and coverage against programme length needs a known duration. Placement: partly checked. Line count and dropped positioning are visible in the file. Whether a caption covers a lower third or a scoreboard needs the video.
Do the FCC standards apply to online video?: They apply to video programming distributed on US television, and — through 47 CFR 79.4 — clips of that programming redistributed online. A university or business publishing original video to its own site is generally looking at the ADA and WCAG rather than at 79.1, though the four standards remain a useful vocabulary for what "good captions" means.
Why is accuracy never marked as passing?: Accuracy cannot be settled from a caption file, because that comparison needs the audio. Reporting it as not evaluated is a deliberate scope boundary rather than a gap waiting to be filled.

Convert your captions free

Upload on CaptionPass, pick a delivery preset, and download upload-ready output with optional enhanced formatting — free tier, no account required.

Convert & fix free →

More guides

Fix in CaptionPass

Free caption converter · Homepage tool · HTTP API (v1) · Pro workspace