09/30/2026
NJBA, other associations file EAS modernization reply comments with FCC
In the Matter of Modernization of the Nation's Alerting Systems, PS Docket Nos. 25-224, 22-329, 15-91, and 15-94.
The New Jersey Broadcasters Association, in combination with the state broadcasters associations of 49 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, filed Joint Reply Comments with the FCC in these proceedings, which contemplate modifications to the Emergency Alert System (EAS).
The Joint Reply Comments urged the FCC to:
- authorize software-based EAS as a voluntary option;
- apply the existing 60-day repair-or-replace period to software-based EAS;
- improve authentication through a measured, technically informed process;
- undertake further work before requiring a universal identifier or additional fixed legacy location codes; maintain the voluntary nature of CAP geographic data, ATSC 3.0 enhancements, and alert symbols;
- and provide coordinated guidance and training for alert originators and government agencies with regard to any new requirements.
The filing noted that taking this approach will allow useful innovation while preserving the reliable, automated, and broadly deployed EAS system on which the public relies.
Read the EAS Modernization Reply Comments