Independent Communications Authority of South Africa Act, 2000 (Act No. 13 of 2000)

Regulations

Purchase

(1)	Accessibility Services

A television broadcasting service licensee must implement the following Accessibility Services on Applicable Channels:—

(a)	Audio Description;

(b)	Sign Language;

(c)	Subtitles; and

(d)	Closed Captioning.

(2)	Audio Description

(a)	The objective of Audio Description is to aid the understanding and enjoyment of a television programme.

(b)	A television broadcasting service licensee must maintain quality access to Audio Description, which is essential for ensuring that audiences using broadcasting services benefit from same.

(3)	Sign Language

A television broadcasting service licensee must:

(a)	ensure that the viewer can see not only the hands but also, where applicable, the facial expressions of the interpreter;

(b)	monitor the effectiveness of the service through annual consultations with organisations representing hearing impaired persons; and

(c)	ensure that sign language interpreters employed have a recognised sign language qualification from an accredited institution.

(4)

Subtitles

A television broadcasting service licensee which provides Subtitles must:

(a)	provide Subtitles as near synchronous to speech as is practicable;

(b)	reflect the spoken word with the same meaning;

(c)	construct Subtitles which contain easily read sentences, and commonly used sentences in a tidy and sensible format; and

(d)	give proper contrast between foreground and background colours.

(5)	Closed Captioning

A television broadcasting service licensee which provides Closed Captioning must ensure the following:

(a)	Closed Captioning must match the spoken words in the dialogue and convey background noise and other sounds to the fullest extent possible.

(b)	Closed Captioning must coincide with their corresponding spoken words and sounds to the greatest extent possible and must be displayed on the screen at a speed that can be read by viewers.

(c)	Closed Captioning must fully run from the beginning to the end of the program possible.

(d)	Closed Captioning should not block other important visual content on the screen, overlap one another or run off the edge of the television screen.