Video accessibility for Colorado PEG and access channels
Your cable feed may be exempt from FCC broadcaster caption rules. The moment the same meeting hits your website, YouTube, or social channels, Colorado public-entity accessibility law applies.
Colorado law is already enforceable
Colorado HB21-1110 (2021) and SB23-244 (2023), codified at C.R.S. §24-34-802(1)(c), make it a discriminatory practice for a public entity to fail to comply with technology accessibility standards. Those standards incorporate WCAG 2.1 Levels A and AA, which expressly cover video, captions, and transcripts.
A statutory grace period created by HB24-1454 expired on July 1, 2025. Individuals with disabilities may bring civil actions for compliance orders, monetary damages, or a $3,500 statutory fine per plaintiff under applicable Colorado law.
Federal ADA Title II web deadlines (April 2027/2028) still matter for budget planning, but Colorado stations should not wait for the federal date. Enforcement is active today for public entities operating in the state.
The compliance story directors can defend
PEG cable carriage is largely exempt from FCC broadcaster caption license thresholds. Cable operators hold the license, not your access channel.
Your web simulcast is not exempt. When council or board video is published on your station website, YouTube, or social media, Colorado public-entity accessibility requirements apply. The defensible pitch to your board: your broadcast may be exempt, your web stream is not, and here is the gap itemized.
Funding live captioning and VOD remediation in Colorado
PEG subscriber fees
PEG fees are collected from cable subscribers through franchise agreements. Depending on your city or county franchise language and FCC guidance, funds may be restricted to capital expenditures rather than operating costs. Confirm the current balance and permitted uses with your franchise administrator before budgeting captioning against PEG.
CapEx vs OpEx
Council chamber AV upgrades (encoder, switcher, or audio path) that enable a reliable RTMP feed for live captioning may qualify as capital in some franchises. Ongoing captioning and audio description subscriptions are typically operating expenses. Upgrade the pipe once, run captioning as a service.
Audit-first workflow
- Scan your live streams and VOD library for caption and audio description gaps
- Receive an itemized remediation estimate
- Map line items to PEG CapEx, PEG OpEx where allowed, or ADA compliance budget lines
Read the full funding narrative in our Colorado PEG funding guide to share with your franchise administrator or budget office.
Request a Colorado video auditWhat Recap provides Colorado stations
- Live captioning over a dedicated RTMP audio stream from your existing chamber encoder. Software-only; no caption encoder hardware to buy or rent. See live captioning details.
- VOD captions and searchable transcripts for archives published to your website or YouTube.
- Audio descriptions for planning sessions and council presentations with visual materials.
- Vendor comparison support: side-by-side quotes against incumbents such as Cablecast or MediaScribe. See vendor evaluation guidance.
Confirm legal interpretation and PEG fund eligibility with your franchise administrator and counsel. Recap provides tooling and estimates; your entity determines budget authority.
Start with your gap, then fund the fix
We will audit your Colorado channel's live and archived video, estimate remediation cost, and walk your AV team through RTMP setup on a demo call.
Ready to make your videos accessible?
Your compliance deadline isn't moving. Your timeline can. Give your accessibility working groups the single point solution they need for all videos needing accessibility remediation.