FCC Sets Comment Dates on Proposed Revisions to EAS Rules and on Inquiry on Expanding EAS to Steaming Services

Earlier this month, the FCC proposed changes to its Emergency Alert System (EAS) rules and initiated an inquiry as to whether EAS should be expanded to require streaming services to carry local emergency alerts (see our article here on those proposals).  These proposals have now been published in the Federal Register, starting the public comment dates.  For broadcasters, the changes proposed in the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking include mandatory yearly meetings of State Emergency Communications Committees with certifications to the FCC that these meetings occurred, and more robust reporting of false EAS alerts.  The Notice of Inquiry asked many questions about whether streaming services have the technical capability to provide EAS alerts and, if they do, which streaming services should be required to do so. The comments and reply comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking will be due by April 20, 2021 and May 4, 2021, respectively and comments and reply comments on the Notice of Inquiry will be due by May 14, 2021 and June 14, 2021.

Courtesy Broadcast Law Blog