Broadcasters Left Hispanics in the Dark During Katrina

The FCC should require broadcasters to provide emergency announcements in multiple languages in markets that include large numbers of people whose main language isn't English, the Minority Media & Telecom Council (MMTC) told the Commission in a petition. MMTC asked the FCC, in its emergency alert system (EAS) rulemaking, to require vital information be made available to non-English people. After Hurricane Katrina and as Hurricane Rita nears Florida, this material should be available now, said MMTC Exec. Dir. David Honig. MMTC, along with the Spanish Bcstrs. Assn. and the United Church of Christ Office of Communications, seek the EAS rules revised immediately to allow multilingual broadcast of local, state and national emergency information. In Aug 2004, the FCC released a notice of proposed rulemaking seeking comment on whether the EAS is the most effective way to warn the public of an emergency and how to improve it. The proceeding could be on the FCC agenda meeting on Oct. 12. MMTC suggested that in each market the FCC designate a local primary Spanish station to at least monitor and rebroadcast emergency information in Spanish.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Tania Panczyk-Collins]
(Not available online)
Learn more about MMTC at: http://www.mmtconline.org