ADA and FCC Captions Compliance

Rev’s captions are built to meet U.S. accessibility requirements, but which requirements they meet depends on the caption service you order. This article explains what AI Captions, Standard Captions, and Premium Captions meet, and which one to choose.

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Compliance by Caption Service

AI Captions

AI Captions are generated by AI in minutes with about 90% accuracy. They meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements for some content only. They may not meet ADA standards for content with a lot of background sound, such as movies or music videos. AI Captions don’t include speaker identification, sound effects, vertical caption placement, or silence tags.

 

Standard Captions

Standard Captions are 99% accurate, reviewed by human captioners, and include speaker identification, sound effects, and lyrics. They meet ADA, Section 508, and Section 504 requirements. They can also meet FCC requirements when no burned-in visual content, such as on-screen text, appears in the bottom third of the screen.

 

Premium Captions

Premium Captions are more than 99% accurate and reviewed by the top 5% of captioners. They’re guaranteed to meet FCC requirements, as well as ADA, Section 508, and Section 504. Vertical caption placement moves captions to the top of the screen so they don’t cover on-screen text. Premium Captions cost an additional $1.50 per minute and are available for English and Spanish captions.

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Which Caption Service to Choose

  • For ADA, Section 508, or Section 504 accessibility, order Standard Captions or Premium Captions.
  • For FCC compliance on TV, or on online video that aired on TV with captions, order Premium Captions. Standard Captions can also qualify if nothing appears in the bottom third of the screen.
  • AI Captions work for quick captions, but review them before relying on them for compliance.

If you’re not sure which rules apply to your content, check with your legal or accessibility team.

For a full side-by-side comparison of the three caption services, see Rev's Human and Premium Services.

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Third-Party Platform Requirements

Premium Captions include silence tags, which Amazon and Apple (iTunes) require. Other platforms may have their own caption requirements. Check the platform’s caption specifications, including the accepted file formats, before you place your order.

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Learn More About These Requirements

  • ADA: ADA Title II Regulations
  • FCC, TV: Closed Captioning on Television 
  • FCC, online video: Closed Captioning of Internet Video Programming
  • Section 508: Video and Social Media

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