FCC Pushes for Audible Emergency Alerts on Non-News TV Shows
Published Date: 5/15/2026
Proposed Rule
Summary
The FCC wants to make sure emergency info on TV is easy to hear and read for everyone, especially during non-news shows. They’re updating rules so if emergency text crawls match the visual alerts, they just need to be read aloud too. Video providers and distributors should get ready to follow these changes, with feedback due by June 15, 2026—no big costs expected, just clearer emergency info for all!
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Text Crawls Can Satisfy Audible Crawl Rule
The FCC proposes revising the Audible Crawl Rule so that if a textual on-screen crawl conveys emergency information duplicative of or equivalent to a visual, non-textual graphic (like a radar map), the rule is satisfied as long as that textual crawl is also read aloud. This change would apply to video programming distributors and providers and is intended to ensure people who are blind or have low vision get the same emergency details as sighted viewers.
New Aural Presentation Standards
The proposed rule text requires that emergency information provided aurally on the secondary audio stream must be preceded by an aural tone, be conveyed in full at least twice, and that any text-to-speech (TTS) output be intelligible and use correct pronunciation of names (shelters, streets, districts, etc.). The video programming creator must provide the aural version and distributors must ensure it is passed through to consumers.
Eases Compliance Burdens for Broadcasters
The FCC tentatively concludes that revising the rule to accept textual crawls read aloud will ease compliance burdens for video programming distributors and providers (including broadcasters and MVPDs) because a technical automated solution for converting non-textual graphics to audio does not currently exist. The Commission states it does not expect significant cost increases for these entities because stations generally already run textual crawls that could satisfy the proposal.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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