House Members, Gomez Urge Carr to Move Forward on Changes to WEA Rules
Members of the House this week asked FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to send to the Federal Register for publication rules for new multilingual templates for wireless emergency alerts (WEA), which the Public Safety Bureau released in January (see 2501080029).
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“This delay is not only indefensible but dangerous -- it directly jeopardizes the ability of our communities to receive life-saving emergency information in the language they understand best,” the lawmakers said in a letter, led by Rep. Nanette Barragan, D-Calif., and Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
The FCC authorized the rules in October 2023 on a 5-0 vote (see 2310230031). The order requires participating wireless providers to transmit emergency messages in the 13 most commonly spoken languages in the U.S., in addition to English and American Sign Language. It “was an important step forward to ensure that the WEA system serves all Americans,” the representatives told Carr. “As a reminder, you voted in favor of this rule, recognizing the need to make sure emergency alerts can reach as many people as possible.”
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez joined Barragan on Tuesday to call for FCC action at an event in Carson, California. “We cannot play politics with public safety,” Gomez said: “It’s time for the FCC to allow this process to move forward so that more people can receive the critical information they need in their chosen language.”