WASHINGTON—In response to effort by the Federal Communications Commission to modernize the country’s alerting systems, the ATSC, the broadcast standards association has submitted comments to the FCC saying that “the ATSC 3.0 next-generation broadcast standards developed by ATSC, is designed to provide accessible, multi-lingual, rich-media, geo-targeted emergency messaging over the air…[with features that offer]...”substantial benefits to public safety and emergency communication.”

The ATSC submitted the comments in response to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the FCC’s PS Docket No. 25-224 concerning the potential improvements to the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA).

The filing signed by ATSC president Madeleine Noland, stressed that while the standards group “does not advocate for regulatory change” it felt that “it is important to inform the Commission and the public about the technical capabilities of the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard—specifically, its optional Advanced Emergency Information (AEI) features—that align with and could complement many of the use cases discussed in the NPRM. These optional technical features also may provide examples of how such functions could be supported in other settings.”

The filing explains that ATSC 3.0’s AEI service "represents a valuable, voluntary innovation that can enrich public warning with media-rich content, multilingual resources, and accessibility features. Because AEI is an optional element within a voluntary standard, it should be recognized as a supplemental enhancement—not a substitute—for core alerting mechanisms such as EAS (and, where appropriate, WEA). Properly framed, AEI can complement these systems by expanding the ways in which the public receives and engages with emergency information, while preserving the primacy and reliability of the nation’s baseline alerting infrastructure.”

The filing also stressed that its AEI capabilities were designed with input from emergency management professionals. Those capabilities include:

• Text, audio, and video alerts, including sign language video and multi-lingual support.
• Location-targeted messaging to specific geographic areas down to the broadcast cell level and further filtered for location at the device level using multiple shapes such as polygons, circles, and postal code identifiers.
• Iterative “update” and “cancel” message types, making it suitable for fast-moving or evolving emergencies.
• Content to fixed and mobile devices, public signage and more, even in the absence of internet or cellular connectivity.
• Broadcaster applications that enable customization based on user preferences such as language preference, alert type, severity level, dismiss/redisplay message, and geographic area of interest to help reduce alert fatigue.
• Content scoped to a particular audience, such as the general public or first responders

The filing also stressed that "a number of impactful pilot projects in the United States have demonstrated the viability of AEI in real-world conditions, including delivery of tornado warnings with embedded video, wildfire evacuation notices with maps and visuals, and multilingual alerts in communities with diverse populations."

The full filing is available here.

WASHINGTON—Reps. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) and 24 other House members have signed on to a letter asking the Federal Communications Commission to include language-access experts in its upcoming Hurricane Season Resiliency Roundtable set for July 7.

The letter comes as the FCC is under mounting pressure to provide better emergency alerts in multiple languages. In 2023, the FCC voted to require wireless emergency alerts be sent in 13 languages as well as American Sign Language, but it has since been criticized for delaying implementation.

The most recent letter, signed July 6 by 27 members of Congress, urged FCC Chair Brendan Carr, a Republican, and Acting Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Chief Zenji Nakazawa to prioritize multilingual, culturally competent emergency communications and to embed language accessibility into every phase of disaster preparedness and response.

“Nearly 68 million United States residents speak a language other than English at home, and over 25 million are classified as LEP,” the lawmakers wrote. “During hurricanes and other disasters, these individuals face significant, documented barriers to accessing emergency alerts, evacuation orders, and disaster recovery information in a language that they can understand.

“As the FCC convenes its Hurricane Season Resiliency Roundtable, it has an opportunity to address longstanding gaps in language accessibility during disasters,” the House members continued. “To improve access to lifesaving information and support economic resilience, the FCC should prioritize making public safety communications—including Wireless Emergency Alerts, Emergency Alert System messages broadcast over television and radio, and 911 accessibility standards—multilingual, culturally competent, and accessible to all.”

In response to the letter and the ongoing flooding emergency in Texas that has killed dozens of people, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, a Democrat, once again reiterated her support for rules requiring operators to send alerts in multiple languages.

Earlier, in late May, TV Tech reported that Barragán joined Gomez and Carson (Calif.) Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes to demand that Carr immediately publish the implementation requirements for the FCC’s multilingual Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) rule in the Federal Register—a necessary step to activate a life-saving policy unanimously approved by the agency in October 2023.

WASHINGTON—Broadcasters got a taste of what to expect with mobile alerts with ATSC 3.0 when the New York and New Jersey bombing suspect was apprehended, thanks in part to 90-character Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA).

The next-gen transmission standard is supposed to help Advanced Warning and Response Network (AWARN) the ability to provide text, photos, videos, maps and links in its alerts. The alerts will be able to be received by smart TVs, tablets, and smartphones. “AWARN will also deliver multilingual and accessible alerts, plus active links to social media and reporting to authorities,” said John Lawson, executive director of the AWARN Alliance.

However, AWARN needs the FCC to approve ATSC 3.0 to fully utilize this technology. The AWARN Alliance recently joined a petition that calls for the FCC to approve the voluntary use of ATSC 3.0 by local TV stations.

For more information on the petition, click here.

For more on ATSC 3.0, see our coverage silo.