ClearCaptions' automatic captions beat assisted ones in FCC lab tests

In the FCC's test lab, ClearCaptions' automatic captions had median word error rates of 3.5% to 14.8%, against 8.9% to 19.5% for assisted providers. The FCC fully certified the service in 2023.

  • Not rated a person

    The FCC measured accuracy and delay on test calls and later found that the service met its minimum standards in operation, but it reports no outcome for users.

Depth runs from 1, a convenience or time saved, to 5, a life or a livelihood preserved.

Status
Reported benefit.
Evidence

foundstudiedreportedclaimed

Two independent regulatory documents support the benefit.

Compared with

Median word error rates of CA-assisted providers, on average, on the same call scenarios. Measured.

Without the system
8.9% to 19.5%
With it
3.5% to 14.8%
The system’s part
The National Test Lab measured the automatic captions against those of human-assisted providers on the same call scenarios, which isolates the recognizer's output. ClearCaptions' own assistants also work with speech recognition. The FCC does not name the vendor or show that the recognizer learns from data, and its 2023 order gives no figures for automatic captions in use.
Later
Persisted, 4 April 2023. Two years after the conditional grant, the FCC certified ClearCaptions through 3 April 2028 to caption calls with assistants and speech recognition.
Not yet checked
LimitsCosts and harmsLearns from data

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Benefit type
Improved Task Accuracy
System
ClearCaptions fully automatic (ASR-only) Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS)
Made by
ClearCaptions, LLC, on the platform of a speech-to-text vendor that the FCC does not name
Used by
ClearCaptions, LLC
Where
United States
Stage
In routine use
Date
, when the source was published
Kind
Aggregate result
Broad benefit
Documenting/Recording Information
Collections
Scrutiny and findings
Last revised
1 November 2026

Sources

  1. Regulatory document, by authors with no tie to the system.

    Federal Communications Commission, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. Memorandum Opinion and Order, DA 21-419, CG Docket No. 03-123 (conditional certification of ClearCaptions, LLC to provide IP CTS on a fully automatic basis). Adopted and released 13 April 2021.

    In recent testing by the National Test Lab, ClearCaptions' median Word Error Rate in various call scenarios ranged from 3.5% to 14.8%, while CA-assisted providers' median Word Error Rate averaged from 8.9% to 19.5%.

  2. Regulatory document, by authors with no tie to the system.

    Federal Communications Commission, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. Order, DA 23-291, CG Docket No. 03-123 (full certification of ClearCaptions, LLC to provide IP CTS). Adopted and released 4 April 2023.

    Based on our review and investigation of the December 2022 Application, the applications previously filed, ClearCaptions's annual reports, and other relevant information regarding ClearCaptions's actual provision of IP CTS, we find that ClearCaptions will provide IP CTS in compliance with the applicable mandatory minimum TRS standards.

  3. Other, by the makers.

    ClearCaptions. About us (clearcaptions.com), company timeline. Accessed 1 November 2026.

    2021 – Increased call captioning speed and accuracy with Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR).

Details

AI system

Workflow

When no assistant was free, the other party's audio went to a speech-to-text vendor, which returned the captions. ClearCaptions chose its vendor after long testing of how few words the platform inserted, substituted or deleted. ClearCaptions planned to test each vendor's captions manually and algorithmically.

Follow-up

Conditions for replication

Neither ClearCaptions nor its vendors may keep captions, call audio or call content after a call ends. Emergency calls go to an assistant when one is free. The service must keep meeting the FCC's minimum standards, which the FCC may check by monitoring and unannounced visits.

Entry details

Sector

Telecommunications relay services / accessibility for people with hearing loss.

Purpose

ClearCaptions built its fully automatic mode, on a speech-to-text vendor's platform, to caption calls for people with hearing loss when no communications assistant is free.

30 more questions not yet checked

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Cite this record

Peter H. Vartanian. (2026). ClearCaptions' automatic captions beat assisted ones in FCC lab tests (AIBD-1000). Artificial Intelligence Benefits Database, edition of 1 November 2026. https://petervartanian.xyz/aibd/records/AIBD-1000.html (archived at https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/AADSII, version 7.0)

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