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a television Television Decoder Circuitry Act Complaint Procedure


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"My TV won't display captioning."

Captioning requirements for networks won't do any good if the television circuitry needed to decode them are not readily available. With the Television Decoder Circuitry Act, Congress has mandated that caption decoding capability be standard in a wide variety of television products.


When to use this procedure: You are a consumer who has encountered a television receiver that cannot decode or display closed captions.

Products and services that are covered by the Television Decoder Circuitry Act:
  • Television receivers, including analog and digital equipment and certain personal computers with TV cards or other internal TV circuitry


Other "fine print":
  • Anyone can file a TV Decoder Act complaint, i.e., you do not have to have a disability; you just need to have information about a TV that you believe cannot decode or display closed captions.


  • The Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990 requires televisions with screens 13 inches or greater to contain built-in circuitry that receives and decodes closed captions.


  • FCC rules have extended this requirement to digital television (DTV) receivers. Because typically DTV receivers are used with screens that have a more rectangular shape, the digital rules apply to screens that are 7.8 inches or larger vertically. In addition, all DTV tuners sold separately in the United States must have internal decoder capability.


  • Digital TV receivers must allow consumers to control the print font and size, as well as the foreground and background color of the captions. Digital receivers also must be capable of decoding and displaying up to 6 streams of captions.


  • Converter boxes used to display digital programs on analog receivers must deliver the analog captioned information to the analog receiver.


  • Personal computers with TV cards must also contain internal circuitry to decode and display captions if those computers are sold with screens that are at least 13 inches.


  • On occasion, television models have been built which turn off sound when captions are turned on. This impedes the ability of deaf and hearing people to watch television together. When this problem has been brought to the attention of the manufacturer, it has been corrected.


  • Many TVs activate captions automatically when you press the mute button, but the procedure will vary by manufacturer and model. Be sure to read the television's directions thoroughly before proceeding with a complaint.


How to proceed with the complaint process:
Build and document your case
  • Your name, address, telephone/TTY number and email address
  • Name and address of the television manufacturer
  • A detailed description of the television or personal computer, including company name, brand and model of the receiver that does not display captions properly
  • The date you bought, acquired or used the equipment or service (or attempted to do so)
Contact the customer service department or relevant senior management at the TV manufacturer and try to resolve the problem Google Search Engine (to look for the company)
Document your interactions with the business
  • Dates of conversations, emails, letters or faxes
  • Person(s) with whom you interacted, including their contact information
  • Details of your conversations
  • Copies of emails, letters, or faxes
If you cannot resolve the problem by working directly with the television manufacturer...
File an informal complaint with the FCC Forward documentation of your case - including your interactions with the manufacturer - to the FCC using one of the following methods:
Online: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html
Email: fccinfo@fcc.gov
Mail: Federal Communications Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Complaints
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554
Fax: 1-866-418-0232



If you are interested in learning more about the Television Decoder Circuitry Act, check out these resources:



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Go back to Complaint Procedures

Go forward to Televised Emergency Programming Complaint Procedure

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