The Federal Communications Commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau has issued an order granting a partial extension to the compliance deadline for Emergency Alert System Participants. This extension is specifically for those participants using equipment from Sage Alerting Systems, who faced an unexpected delay in receiving a necessary firmware update.
Initially, EAS Participants were required to prioritize the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)-formatted version of an EAS message by December 12. However, due to the delay in the firmware update from Sage Alerting Systems, the Bureau has extended the deadline by 90 days, now due by March 11, 2024, but only for those affected by this specific issue.
This decision comes after a joint request from the National Association of Broadcasters and REC Networks, who argued that the delay was beyond the control of EAS Participants and would impede their ability to meet the original deadline. They also highlighted the challenges posed by the high volume of systems needing updates simultaneously, especially considering the upcoming holiday season.
The Bureau acknowledged these concerns, noting that the public will continue to receive EAS messages throughout this extension period. However, this additional time only affects EAS Participants’ ability to prioritize the delivery of CAP-based messages. The Bureau denied the request for a blanket waiver for all EAS Participants, expecting those not affected by the Sage Alerting Systems delay to comply with the original December 12 deadline.
