The Federal Communications Commission has given broadcasters some extra time to make sure their emergency alerts comply with new rules that favor internet protocol (IP)-based alerts, but only for the broadcasters the agency has concluded really need the extension.
The FCC is requiring broadcasters to prioritize internet-friendly (IP-based) formatted alerts — which allow for enhanced information — over the legacy broadcast-based Emergency Alert System when those alerts are received in both formats.
Due to a distribution problem that delayed shipping of the necessary firmware, the National Association of Broadcasters asked for a 90-day extension of the December 12 deadline for prioritizing the alerts.
On Wednesday (November 29), the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau said it would grant that extension — to March 11 — but only for customers of encoder-decoder supplier Sage Alerting Systems, the firmware vendor with the distribution issues.
“Based on the unique circumstances presented here, we conclude there is good cause to grant the extension request,” the bureau said, though the extension is not a blanket waiver for all Emergency Alert System participants. “We do not believe it would serve the public interest to extend the deadline where circumstances do not warrant it.”
That means everyone else must be in compliance by the December 12 deadline.
