FCC Fines Viacom and ESPN $1.4 Million for Misuse of Emergency Alert Warnings

The Federal Communications Commission fined Viacom and ESPN $1.4 million for misusing the Emergency Alert System warning tones. The cable networks transmitted EAS warning tones for several days in 2013 to promote the movie “Olympus Has Fallen,” which portrayed a terrorist attack on Washington, DC.

Broadcast or transmission of these tones outside an emergency or test violates the FCC’s laws protecting the integrity of the system. In March 2014, the FCC proposed a total fine of $1,930,000 against NBCUniversal, ESPN, and Viacom. NBCUniversal paid its $530,000 fine, but ESPN and Viacom objected and requested reductions. The FCC rejected their arguments and imposed fines of $1,120,000 against Viacom and $280,000 against ESPN. The fines, which differ based on several factors including the number of channels involved and the number of transmissions on each channel, must be paid in 30 days.