§ 11.11 - The Emergency Alert System (EAS).  


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  • § 11.11 The Emergency Alert System (EAS).

    (a) The EAS is composed of analog radio broadcast stations including AM, FM, and Low-power FM (LPFM) stations; digital audio broadcasting (DAB) stations, including digital AM, FM, and Low-power FM 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 herein. 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—Analog and Digital Broadcast Station Equipment Deployment Requirements

    EAS equipment requirement AM & FM Digital AM & FM Analog & digital FM class D Analog &
    digital LPFM
    DTV Analog &
    digital class A TV
    Analog &
    digital LPTV
    EAS decoder1 YYYYYYY
    EAS encoderYYNNYYN
    Audio messageYYYYYYY
    Video messageN/AN/AN/AN/AYYY

    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 ≥5,000
    subscribers
    <5,000
    subscribers
    EAS decoder1 YY
    EAS encoderY Y2
    Audio and Video EAS Message on all channelsYN
    Video interrupt and audio alert message on all channels;3 Audio and Video EAS message on at least one channelNY

    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 ≥5,000
    subscribers
    <5,000
    subscribers
    EAS decoder1 YY
    EAS encoderY Y2
    Audio and Video EAS Message on all channels3 YN
    Video interrupt and audio alert message on all channels;4 Audio and Video EAS message on at least one channelNY

    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 ≥5,000
    subscribers
    <5,000
    subscribers
    EAS decoder1 YY
    EAS encoderY Y2
    Audio and Video EAS Message on all channels3 YN
    Video interrupt and audio alert message on all channels;4 Audio and Video EAS message on at least one channelNY

    SDARS and DBS

    EAS equipment requirement SDARS DBS
    EAS decoder1 YY
    EAS encoderYY
    Audio message on all channels2 YY
    Video message on all channels2 N/AY

    (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) 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. 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.

    [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]