On December 20, 2024, the FCC released an order granting a request from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) for a retroactive extension of an existing waiver of the requirement that broadcasters provide an aural representation of visual, non-textual emergency information (such as radar maps or other graphics) on the secondary audio stream of video broadcasts.
The order extends the waiver through May 27, 2025, or until there is a ruling on a separate NAB petition for rulemaking and waiver extension on the accessibility requirement, whichever is sooner.
Link to the Order:
https://www.fcc.gov/document/mb-grants-nab-request-waiver-extension-6-months
Link to the NAB Petition for Rulemaking:
https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/1115662625005/1
For general information about the FCC’s television emergency information requirements, visit: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/accessibility-emergency-information-television/. For more information about this specific proceeding, please contact Diana Sokolow, Media Bureau, Policy Division, at (202) 418-0588 or Diana.Sokolow@fcc.gov. Individuals who use videophones and are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) may call the FCC’s ASL Consumer Support Line at 844‐432‐2275 (videophone).