The Emergency Alert System

In the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), the Federal Communications Commission (the FCC or the Commission) proposes and seeks comment on implementing a multilingual alert processing model for the Emergency Alert System (EAS) through which brief, pre-scripted (or "template") alert messages that have been pre-translated into the 13 most commonly spoken non-English languages in the United (as well as in English), can be initiated by alert originators for distribution to the public by the TV and radio broadcasters, cable service providers, and other "EAS Participant" services that make up the EAS public alert distribution system. The NPRM also seeks comment a wide range of specific technical, operational, cost and implementation timing issues related to the template alert distribution model.