With the publication of a Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking associated with proposed changes to the FCC’s audible crawl rule in the Federal Register, the Media Bureau’s Policy Division has been given the green light to establish a comment window, finalizing the dates one can offer their thoughts on the matter.
As RBR+TVBR first reported on April 30, the Commission adopted a Third FNPRM that amends its “Audible Crawl Rule” and eliminates what the NAB, TV stations owners and the FCC all agree is “a technically unworkable provision” while ensuring that people who are visually impaired continue receiving the critical emergency information they need.
The 3-0 vote was largely expected, as the Commission has been regularly granting waivers of the rule for more than a decade. And, it effectively erases an April 9, 2013, provision within the FCC’s Emergency Information Order.
But, these changes cannot happen until public input is given, and that’s coming soon, with a June 15 Comment Date and a June 29 Reply Comment Date.
Comments should follow the filing instructions provided in paragraph 22 of the Third FNPRM.
While the goal of the Commission was to make emergency information available to all, including those who are blind or visually impaired, it put a rule into place before the technology needed to bring it to fruition was developed. Today, that technology still does not exist
