FCC Commissioner Clyburn On A Proposal To Improve Multilingual Emergency Information

I commend [Federal Communications Commission] Chairman Tom Wheeler for issuing a Public Notice that includes a proposal to ensure non-English-speaking persons have access to important information in an emergency.

This proposal asks broadcasters, as well as state and local governments, to work on a plan to address the needs of such persons if a non-English station is knocked off the air during an emergency. During our field hearings to study service outages during Super Storm Sandy, we learned how important broadcaster cooperation was to keeping TV and radio stations operational so communities could receive information.

This Public Notice asks several questions about the details necessary to implement this proposal. Responses to these questions will help the Commission craft specific rules, if necessary, to promote this goal.

[March 11]


FCC Commissioner Clyburn On A Proposal To Improve Multilingual Emergency Information