FCC Extends Deadline For EAS Upgrade

Upgrade Deadline Extended

The FCC has extended the MARCH 29th, 2011 deadline for upgrading Emergency Alert System equipment to receive Common Alerting Protocol v1.2 standard EAS alerts, pushing the date back to SEPTEMBER 30th, 2011.  

The Commission had been urged to do so by 46 state broadcasters associations joined with the NAB, NCTA, SBE, AMERICAN CABLE ASSOCIATION, MSTV, NPR, ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC TELEVISION STATIONS, and PBS in a filing last month, and was recommended by the FCC's own Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council.

JAMES ARDEN BARNETT, JR., Rear Admiral (ret.) and Chief of the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, said, "We are pleased to provide the extension to broadcasters and other EAS participants to come into CAP-compliance. It is critical that we get this right from the beginning and after weighing considerable public input calling for an extension, we believe today's action to do so provides broadcasters and other EAS participants with greater flexibility to meet the technical requirements for delivering next generation emergency alerts to the public."

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