47 C.F.R. § 11.11

Current through September 30, 2024

Section 11.11 - The Emergency Alert System (EAS)

(a) The EAS is composed of analog radio broadcast stations including AM, FM, Low-power FM (LPFM), and program originating FM booster stations; digital audio broadcasting (DAB) stations, including digital AM, FM, LPFM, and program originating FM booster stations; Class A television (CA) and Low-power TV (LPTV) stations; digital television (DTV) broadcast stations, including digital CA and digital LPTV stations; analog cable systems; digital cable systems which are defined for purposes of this part only as the portion of a cable system that delivers channels in digital format to subscribers at the input of a Unidirectional Digital Cable Product or other navigation device; wireline video systems; wireless cable systems which may consist of Broadband Radio Service (BRS), or Educational Broadband Service (EBS) stations; DBS services, as defined in § 25.701(a) of this chapter (including certain Ku-band Fixed-Satellite Service Direct to Home providers); and SDARS, as defined in § 25.201 of this chapter. These entities are referred to collectively as EAS Participants in this part, and are subject to this part, except as otherwise provided in this section. At a minimum EAS Participants must use a common EAS protocol, as defined in § 11.31 , to send and receive emergency alerts, and comply with the requirements set forth in § 11.56 , in accordance with the following tables:

Table 1 to Paragraph ( a )-Analog and Digital Broadcast Station Equipment Deployment Requirements

EAS equipment requirement	AM & FM & program originating FM booster station	Digital AM & FM & program originating FM booster station	Analog & digital FM class D	Analog & digital LPFM & program originating FM booster station	DTV	Analog & digital class A TV	Analog & digital LPTV
EAS Decoder ¹	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
EAS Encoder	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	N
Audio message	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Video message	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Y	Y	Y
¹ EAS Participants may comply with the obligations set forth in § 11.56 to decode and convert CAP-formatted messages into EAS Protocol-compliant messages by deploying an Intermediary Device, as specified in § 11.56(b) .

¹ EAS Participants may comply with the obligations set forth in § 11.56 to decode and convert CAP-formatted messages into EAS Protocol-compliant messages by deploying an Intermediary Device, as specified in § 11.56(b) .

Analog Cable Systems

Analog cable systems are subject to the requirements in Table 2 below. Analog cable systems serving fewer than 5,000 subscribers from a headend may either provide the National level EAS message on all programmed channels including the required testing, or comply with the requirements in Table 2.

Table 2-Analog Cable System Equipment Deployment Requirements

EAS equipment requirement	[GREATER THAN EQUAL TO]5,000 subscribers	[LESS THAN]5,000 subscribers
EAS decoder¹	Y	Y
EAS encoder	Y	Y²
Audio and Video EAS Message on all channels	Y	N
Video interrupt and audio alert message on all channels;³ Audio and Video EAS message on at least one channel	N	Y

² Analog cable systems serving [LESS THAN]5,000 subscribers are permitted to operate without an EAS encoder if they install an FCC-certified decoder.

³ The Video interrupt must cause all channels that carry programming to flash for the duration of the EAS emergency message. The audio alert must give the channel where the EAS messages are carried and be repeated for the duration of the EAS message. [Note: Programmed channels do not include channels used for the transmission of data such as interactive games.]

Wireless Cable Systems (BRS/EBS Stations)

Wireless cable systems are subject to the requirements in Table 3 below. Wireless cable systems serving fewer than 5,000 subscribers from a single transmission site must either provide the National level EAS message on all programmed channels including the required testing, or comply with the requirements in Table 3.

Table 3-Wireless Cable System Equipment Deployment Requirements

EAS equipment requirement	[GREATER THAN EQUAL TO]5,000 subscribers	[LESS THAN]5,000 subscribers
EAS decoder¹	Y	Y
EAS encoder	Y	Y²
Audio and Video EAS Message on all channels³	Y	N
Video interrupt and audio alert message on all channels;⁴ Audio and Video EAS message on at least one channel	N	Y

² Wireless cable systems serving [LESS THAN]5,000 subscribers are permitted to operate without an EAS encoder if they install an FCC-certified decoder.

³ All wireless cable systems may comply with this requirement by providing a means to switch all programmed channels to a predesignated channel that carries the required audio and video EAS messages.

⁴ The Video interrupt must cause all channels that carry programming to flash for the duration of the EAS emergency message. The audio alert must give the channel where the EAS messages are carried and be repeated for the duration of the EAS message. [Note: Programmed channels do not include channels used for the transmission of data services such as Internet.]

Digital Cable Systems and Wireline Video Systems

Digital cable systems and Wireline Video Systems must comply with the requirements in Table 4 below. Digital cable systems and Wireline Video Systems serving fewer than 5,000 subscribers from a headend must either provide the National level EAS message on all programmed channels including the required testing, or comply with the requirements in Table 4.

Table 4-Digital Cable System and Wireline Video System Equipment Deployment Requirements

EAS equipment requirement	[GREATER THAN EQUAL TO]5,000 subscribers	[LESS THAN]5,000 subscribers
EAS decoder¹	Y	Y
EAS encoder	Y	Y²
Audio and Video EAS Message on all channels³	Y	N
Video interrupt and audio alert message on all channels;⁴ Audio and Video EAS message on at least one channel	N	Y

² Digital cable systems and wireline video systems serving [LESS THAN]5,000 subscribers are permitted to operate without an EAS encoder if they install an FCC-certified decoder.

³ All digital cable systems and wireline video systems may comply with this requirement by providing a means to switch all programmed channels to a predesignated channel that carries the required audio and video EAS messages.

SDARS and DBS

EAS equipment requirement	SDARS	DBS
EAS decoder¹	Y	Y
EAS encoder	Y	Y
Audio message on all channels²	Y	Y
Video message on all channels²	N/A	Y

² All SDARS and DBS providers may comply with this requirement by providing a means to switch all programmed channels to a predesignated channel that carries the required audio and video EAS messages or by any other method that ensures that viewers of all channels receive the EAS message.

(b) Analog class D non-commercial educational FM stations as defined in § 73.506 of this chapter, digital class D non-commercial educational FM stations, analog LPFM stations as defined in §§ 73.811 and 73.853 of this chapter, digital LPFM stations, analog LPTV stations as defined in § 74.701(f) , and digital LPTV stations as defined in § 74.701(k) of this chapter are not required to comply with § 11.32 . Analog and digital LPTV stations that operate as television broadcast translator stations, as defined in § 74.701(b) of this chapter, are not required to comply with the requirements of this part. FM broadcast booster stations as defined in § 74.1201(f)(1) of this chapter and FM translator stations as defined in § 74.1201(a) of this chapter which entirely rebroadcast the programming of other local FM broadcast stations are not required to comply with the requirements of this part. Program originating FM booster stations as defined in § 74.1201(f)(2) of this chapter must comply with the requirements of this part as set forth in table 1 to paragraph (a) of this section. International broadcast stations as defined in § 73.701 of this chapter are not required to comply with the requirements of this part. Analog and digital broadcast stations that operate as satellites or repeaters of a hub station (or common studio or control point if there is no hub station) and rebroadcast 100 percent of the programming of the hub station (or common studio or control point) may satisfy the requirements of this part through the use of a single set of EAS equipment at the hub station (or common studio or control point) which complies with §§ 11.32 and 11.33 .

(c) For purposes of the EAS, Broadband Radio Service (BRS) and Educational Broadband Service (EBS) stations operated as part of wireless cable systems in accordance with subpart M of part 27 of this chapter are defined as follows:

(1) A "wireless cable system" is a collection of channels in the BRS or EBS used to provide video programming services to subscribers. The channels may be licensed to or leased by the wireless cable system operator.

(2) A "wireless cable operator" is the entity that has acquired the right to use the channels of a wireless cable system for transmission of programming to subscribers.

(d) Local franchise authorities may use any EAS codes authorized by the FCC in any agreements.

(e) Other technologies and public service providers, such as low earth orbiting satellites, that wish to participate in the EAS may contact the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau or their State Emergency Communications Committee for information and guidance.

47 C.F.R. §11.11

63 FR 29662, June 1, 1998, as amended at 65 FR 7639, Feb. 15, 2000; 65 FR 21657, Apr. 24, 2000; 65 FR 30001, May 10, 2000; 65 FR 34406, May 30, 2000; 67 FR 18506, Apr. 16, 2002; 69 FR 72031, Dec. 10, 2004; 70 FR 19315, Apr. 13, 2005; 70 FR 71031, Nov. 25, 2005; 71 FR 76220, Dec. 20, 2006; 72 FR 62132, Nov. 2, 2007; 77 FR 16699, Mar. 22, 2012

89 FR 26792, 5/16/2024