Sec.  11.54   EAS operation during a National Level emergency.

   Link to an amendment published at  70 FR 71037 , Nov. 25, 2005.

   (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]