Comments Due July 20 on EAS Rulemaking

WASHINGTON: The FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Part 11 rules governing the Emergency Alert System was published in the Federal Register today, triggering the 30-day comment period. Initial comments are due July 20, with reply comments due Aug. 4. The NPRM, released May 26, asks for feedback on changes to the current EAS system, including the implementation of Common Alerting Protocol and a deadline for doing so. The current deadline is now Sept. 30 after originally having been set for March of this year. Debate now ensues on whether or not another extension should be granted because so many uncertainties remain with regard to requirements, equipment and implementation. The docket number on the proceeding is 04-296.

See “EAS-CAP Compliance Deadline ‘Hotly Debated.’”