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 and wireless cable systems must:

   (1) Monitor the two EAS sources assigned in the State or Local Area
   plan or FCC Mapbook for any further instructions.

   (2) 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(k)(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.

   (3) 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.

   (4) 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.

   (5) TV broadcast stations shall display an appropriate EAS slide and
   then transmit all EAS announcements visually and aurally as specified
   in Sec. 73.1250(h) of this chapter.

   (6) Cable systems and wireless cable systems shall transmit all EAS
   announcements visually and aurally as specified in Sec. 11.51(g) and (h).

   (7) Announcements may be made in the same language as the primary
   language of the station.

   (8) Broadcast stations may transmit their call letters and cable
   systems and wireless cable systems may transmit the names of the
   communities they serve during an EAS activation. State and Local Area
   identifications must be given as provided in State and Local Area EAS
   plans.

   (9) All broadcast stations and cable systems and wireless cable
   systems operating and identified with a particular EAS Local Area must
   transmit a common national emergency message until receipt of the
   Emergency Action Termination.

   (10) Broadcast stations, except those holding an EAS Non-participating
   National Authorization letter, are exempt from complying with Sec. Sec. 73.62
   and 73.1560 of this chapter (operating power maintenance) while
   operating under this part.

   (11) National Primary (NP) sources must operate under the procedures
   in the National Control Point Procedures.

   (12) The time of receipt of the EAN and Emergency Action Termination
   messages shall be entered by broadcast stations in their logs (as
   specified in Sec. Sec. 73.1820 and 73.1840 of this chapter), by cable systems
   in their records (as specified in Sec. 76.305 of this chapter), and by
   subject wireless cable systems in their records (as specified in
   Sec. 21.304 of this chapter).

   (c) Upon receipt of an Emergency Action Termination Message, broadcast
   stations and cable systems and wireless cable systems must follow the
   termination procedures in the EAS Operating Handbook.

   (d) Broadcast stations and cable systems and wireless 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, cable systems and wireless
   cable systems.

   (e) During a national level EAS emergency, broadcast stations may
   transmit in lieu of the EAS audio feed an audio feed of the
   President's voice message from an alternative source, such as a
   broadcast network audio feed.

   [ 59 FR 67092 , Dec. 28, 1994, as amended at  63 FR 29666 , June 1, 1998;
    63 FR 39035 , July 21, 1998;  65 FR 21658 , Apr. 24, 2000;  65 FR 53614 ,
   Sept. 5, 2000;  67 FR 18511 , Apr. 16, 2002]