FCC proposes new rules to make emergency alerts more accessible for people hard of hearing

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is proposing new rules for emergency alerts to make them more accessible to people who are deaf and hard of hearing. The agency said in a news release that the proposal is part of a larger examination of measures to “enhance the system’s overall functionality and accessibility.”

The legacy versions of emergency alerts broadcast on over-the-air television with a test pattern screen and a loud alert noise followed by spoken instructions. The FCC says it wants broadcasters, cable systems, and other participants in the emergency alerts system (EAS) to use the internet-based Common Alerting Protocol version of the alerts when possible instead. And for the TV alerts, the FCC wants to see...

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