Sec. 11.54  EAS operation during a National Level emergency.

    (a) The EAS Operating Handbook summarizes the procedures to be 
followed upon receipt of a National level EAN or EAT Message.
    (b) Immediately upon receipt of an EAN message, broadcast stations 
and cable systems must:
    (1) Monitor the radio and television networks, cable networks and 
program suppliers, and wire services for further instructions.
    (2) Verify the authenticity of the EAN message with the current Red 
Envelope Authenticator List (broadcast stations only).
    (3) Monitor the two EAS sources assigned in the State or Local Area 
plan or FCC Mapbook for any further instructions.
    (4) Discontinue normal programming and follow the transmission 
procedures in the appropriate section of the EAS Operating Handbook. 
Announcements may be made in the same language as the primary language 
of the station.
    (i) Key EAS sources (National Primary (NP), Local Primary (LP), 
State Primary (SP), State Relay (SR) and Participating National (PN) 
sources) follow the transmission procedures and make the announcements 
in the National Level Instructions of the EAS Operating Handbook.
    (ii) Non-participating National (NN) sources follow the transmission 
procedures and make the sign-off announcement in the EAS Operating 
Handbook's National Level Instructions section for NN sources. After the 
sign-off announcement, NN sources are required to remove their carriers 
from the air and monitor for the Emergency Action Termination message. 
NN sources using automatic interrupt under Sec. 11.51(l)(1) must 
transmit the header codes, Attention Signal, sign-off announcement and 
EOM code after receiving the appropriate EAS header codes for a national 
emergency.
    (5) After completing the above transmission procedures, key EAS and 
Participating National sources must transmit a common emergency message 
until receipt of the Emergency Action Termination Message. Message 
priorities are specified in Sec. 11.44. If LP or SR sources of a Local 
Area cannot provide an emergency message feed, any source in the Local 
Area may elect to provide a message feed. This should be done in an 
organized manner as designated in State and Local Area EAS Plans.
    (6) The Standby Script shall be used until emergency messages are 
available. The text of the Standby Script is in the EAS Operating 
Handbook's section for Participating sources.
    (7) TV broadcast stations shall display an appropriate EAS slide and 
then

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transmit all EAS announcements visually and aurally as specified in 
Sec. 73.1250(h) of this chapter.
    (8) Announcements may be made in the same language as the primary 
language of the station.
    (9) Broadcast Stations in the International Broadcast Service must 
cease broadcasting immediately upon receipt of an Emergency Action 
Notification and must maintain radio silence until an EAT is issued. 
Such stations may be issued an emergency authorization by the FCC with 
concurrence of the Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy, to 
transmit Federal government broadcasts or communications.
    (10) Broadcast stations may transmit their call letters and cable 
systems may transmit the names of the communities they serve during an 
EAS activation. EAS State and Local Area identifications must be given 
as provided in State and Local Area EAS plans.
    (11) All broadcast stations and cable systems operating and 
identified with a particular Local Area must transmit a common national 
emergency message until receipt of the Emergency Action Termination.
    (12) Broadcast stations, except those holding an EAS Non-
participating National Authorization letter, are exempt from complying 
with Secs. 73.62 and 73.1560 of this chapter (operating power 
maintenance) while operating under this part.
    (13) National Primary (NP) sources must operate under the procedures 
in the National Control Point Procedures.
    (14) The time of receipt of the EAN and Emergency Action Termination 
messages shall be entered in the broadcast station logs (as specified in 
Secs. 73.1820 and 73.1840 of this chapter), or the cable system records 
(as specified in Sec. 76.305 of this chapter).
    (c) Upon receipt of an Emergency Action Termination Message, 
broadcast stations and cable systems must follow the termination 
procedures in the EAS Operating Handbook.
    (d) Broadcast stations and cable systems originating emergency 
communications under this section shall be considered to have conferred 
rebroadcast authority, as required by Section 325(a) of the 
Communications Act of 1934, 47 U.S.C. 325(a), to other participating 
broadcast stations and cable systems.