With the debate around EAS distribution a core tenet of the fight to keep AM radio in automobiles, the Federal Communications Commission seeks to enhance the inclusivity of emergency alerts for non-English speaking residents to thirteen additional languages.
This is the focus of a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking introduced during the Commission’s February open meeting.
While the Emergency Alert System currently permits alerts in languages other than English, the overwhelming majority are broadcast solely in English. The FCC says this leaves the more than 26 million US residents who report limited or no English proficiency at a disadvantage during critical times.
To combat this, the NPRM introduces pre-scripted, template alert messages and prerecorded audio files in the 13 most commonly spoken non-English languages in the US. Languages include Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
It would become mandatory for EAS participants, like broadcasters and cable providers, to transmit in the appropriate language matching their content.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel plus Commissioners Geoffrey Starks and Anna Gomez all expressed strong support for the initiative.
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