The FCC needs to address the gap in...
The FCC needs to address the gap in multilingual emergency communications systems, the Minority Media and Telecom Council said in a letter to the chief of the Public Safety Bureau Thursday (http://bit.ly/15ORQA0). MMTC said it first asked the FCC to…
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address the issue in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which struck in 2005. MMTC President David Honig said current FCC emergency communication procedures “cannot ensure that multilingual emergency warnings will reach those without access to mobile phones or other non-broadcast devices, since an emergency may silence a market’s only multilingual station.” Honig said the EAS test report released last month (CD April 16 p5) was focused only on English speakers. “This omission could prove deadly for non-English speaking U.S. residents,” Honig said. He said FCC efforts to provide emergency alerts for non-English speakers should include detailed information beyond simple alerts, including directions on where to find shelter and food and when it might be safe to return. “Before the 2013 hurricane season begins, the Commission should take up and rule on the Katrina Petition,” Honig said.