The CRTC on Tuesday offered further proof it will not regulate the Internet as it revealed new disability access standards for digital broadcasters that do not extend to web-based video.

The regulator said it will tell broadcasters at their next licence-renewal hearings to provide closed captioning for digital and high-definition programming, offer audio descriptions of digital programming, especially for newscasts, and provide at least four hours weekly of described-video programming.

Further, French-language broadcasters for the first time face the same closed-captioning and described-video obligations as English-language broadcasters.

But, as part of a bid to improve programming access for people with disabilities in the digital age, the CRTC stopped short of compelling broadcasters to introduce Internet video closed captioning and other accessibility tools on their websites.

‘The CRTC encourages TV broadcasters to provide closed captioning for their programs that are available online,’ the commission said in its only reference to new media.

Otherwise the regulator stressed it was building on existing obligations by Canadian broadcasters to ensure fair access to content by people with disabilities.

Currently, broadcasters that distribute their content over the Internet or mobile platforms, for example, require no CRTC licence to do so.

But the CRTC had the option to ensure Internet service providers introduce accessibility standards to websites they host, and chose not to do so.

Stephen Waddell, national executive director of ACTRA, applauded the CRTC for bumping up descriptive-video requirements on digital broadcasters, not least as it signals increased voice work for his membership.

‘This is an important step in insuring all Canadians have equal access to the latest technology and communications services,’ said Waddell.