Emergencia: FCC might require Spanish version of broadcast weather alerts

The Federal Communications Commission is reconsidering a rule that would provide Spanish broadcasts of emergency alerts and other important announcements.

The rule was originally recommended in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Back then, groups including the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council petitioned the FCC to require broadcasters to notify Spanish listeners in the event of an emergency. "MMTC filed its petition on Sept. 22, 2005, in response to its perceived deficiencies in distributing multilingual emergency information in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina," the agency wrote. The FCC is reopening the comment period for another month as it considers such a rule. The rule would require certain stations to air all presidential messages in both English and Spanish. To a lesser extent, emergency broadcasts in certain areas may also be aired in other languages, such as French or Mandarin.