Goto Section: 73.1230 | 73.1300 | Table of Contents
FCC 73.1250
Revised as of October 2, 2015
Goto Year:2014 |
2016
§ 73.1250 Broadcasting emergency information.
(a) Emergency situations in which the broadcasting of information is
considered as furthering the safety of life and property include, but are
not limited to the following: Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, tidal waves,
earthquakes, icing conditions, heavy snows, widespread fires, discharge of
toxic gasses, widspread power failures, industrial explosions, civil
disorders and school closing and changes in school bus schedules resulting
from such conditions. See also § 73.3542, Application for Emergency
Authorization, for requirements involving emergency situations not covered
by this section for which prior operating authority must be requested.
(b) If requested by responsible public officials, a station may, at its
discretion, and without further FCC authority, transmit emergency
point-to-point messages for the purpose of requesting or dispatching aid and
assisting in rescue operations.
(c) If the Emergency Alert System (EAS) is activated for a national
emergency while a Local Area or State emergency operation is in progress,
the national level EAS operation must take precedence. If, during the
broadcasting of Local Area or State emergency information, the EAS codes or
Attention Signal described in § 11.12 of this chapter are used, the
broadcasts are considered as being carried out under a Local Area or State
EAS plan.
(d) Any emergency operation undertaken in accordance with this section may
be terminated by the FCC if required in the public interest.
(e) Immediately upon cessation of an emergency during which broadcast
facilities were used for the transmission of point-to-point messages under
paragraph (b) of this section, or when daytime facilities were used during
nighttime hours by an AM station in accordance with paragraph (f) of this
section, a report in letter form shall be forwarded to the FCC in
Washington, DC, setting forth the nature of the emergency, the dates and
hours of the broadcasting of emergency information, and a brief description
of the material carried during the emergency. A certification of compliance
with the noncommercialization provision of paragraph (f) of this section
must accompany the report where daytime facilities are used during nighttime
hours by an AM station, together with a detailed showing, under the
provisisons of that paragraph, that no other broadcast service existed or
was adequate.
(f) AM stations may, without further FCC authority, use their full daytime
facilities during nighttime hours to broadcast emergency information
(examples listed in paragraph (a) of this section), when necessary to the
safety of life and property, in dangerous conditions of a general nature and
when adequate advance warning cannot be given with the facilities
authorized. Because of skywave interference impact on other stations
assigned to the same channel, such operation may be undertaken only if
regular, unlimited-time service, is non-existent, inadequate from the
standpoint of coverage, or not serving the public need. All operation under
this paragraph must be conducted on a noncommercial basis. Recorded music
may be used to the extent necessary to provide program continuity.
(g) Broadcasting of emergency information shall be confined to the hours,
frequencies, powers and modes of operation specified in the station license,
except as otherwise provided for AM stations in paragraph (f) of this
section.
(h) Any emergency information transmitted by a TV or Class A TV station in
accordance with this section shall be transmitted both aurally and visually
or only visually. TV and Class A TV stations may use any method of visual
presentation which results in a legible message conveying the essential
emergency information. Methods which may be used include, but are not
necessarily limited to, slides, electronic captioning, manual methods (e.g.,
hand printing) or mechanical printing processes. However, when an emergency
operation is being conducted under a national, State or Local Area Emergency
Alert System (EAS) plan, emergency information shall be transmitted both
aurally and visually unless only the EAS codes are transmitted as specified
in § 11.51(b) of this chapter.
[ 43 FR 45847 , Oct. 4, 1978, as amended at 50 FR 30947 , July 31, 1985; 59 FR 67102 , Dec. 28, 1994; 60 FR 56000 , Nov. 6, 1995; 65 FR 30003 , May 10, 2000]
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Goto Section: 73.1230 | 73.1300
Goto Year: 2014 |
2016
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