47 USC § 611 - Closed-captioning of public service announcements

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t47/s611"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_prima_facie"
title: "47 USC § 611 - Closed-captioning of public service announcements"
title_number: 47
title_name: "TELECOMMUNICATIONS"
section_number: "611"
section_name: "Closed-captioning of public service announcements"
chapter_number: 5
chapter_name: "WIRE OR RADIO COMMUNICATION"
subchapter_number: "VI"
subchapter_name: "MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS"
positive_law: false
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2025-08-11"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title VII, § 711, as added Pub. L. 98–549, § 8, Oct. 30, 1984, 98 Stat. 2804; amended Pub. L. 101–336, title IV, § 402, July 26, 1990, 104 Stat. 369.)"
---


# § 611. Closed-captioning of public service announcements

Any television public service announcement that is produced or funded in whole or in part by any agency or instrumentality of Federal Government shall include closed captioning of the verbal content of such announcement. A television broadcast station licensee—

**(1)** shall not be required to supply closed captioning for any such announcement that fails to include it; and

**(2)** shall not be liable for broadcasting any such announcement without transmitting a closed caption unless the licensee intentionally fails to transmit the closed caption that was included with the announcement.

---

**Source Credit**: (June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title VII, § 711, as added Pub. L. 98–549, § 8, Oct. 30, 1984, 98 Stat. 2804; amended Pub. L. 101–336, title IV, § 402, July 26, 1990, 104 Stat. 369.)

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1990— amended section generally, substituting provisions relating to closed-captioning of public service announcements for provisions relating to establishment, functions, composition, etc., of Telecommunications Policy Study Commission.

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Section effective 60 days after , except where otherwise expressly provided, see , set out as a note under .