Multilingual EAS Comment Cycle Established

The FCC announced that comments and reply comments to its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) on mechanisms to implement multilingual Wireless Emergency Alerts (“WEA”) will be due by April 8 and May 6, respectively. Multilingual WEAs are meant to provide life-saving information to the millions of people living in the United States who do not primarily speak English or Spanish or have a disability and require accessible WEA formats. The Commission proposes a set of pre-translated messages in English, the 13 most spoken languages in the United States, and American Sign Language (“ASL”), pre-installed and stored on devices offered by participating Commercial Mobile Service (“CMS”) providers, among other things. 

ACP Program Wind Down Timeline

The FCC announced that the last fully funded month for the Affordable Connectivity Program (“ACP”) will be April of this year, with a partial reimbursement provided in May, absent further funding from Congress. The ACP provides subsidies for Internet service to more than 23 million low-income households and includes approximately 1,700 Internet service providers offering the program discount. Participating providers are reminded that they must send out written notice to participating ACP households they serve by March 19, 2024, advising the ACP recipients that the program is ending and explaining the impact it will have on their service and bills. 

Auction Authority Alternatives Comment Cycle Established

The FCC seeks comment on how the Commission should make spectrum resources available for public use considering the lapse of the Commission’s auction authority. The FCC identifies three approaches it could use to make spectrum available without auction authority: (1) providing access through dynamic spectrum sharing techniques; (2) providing access through non-exclusive site-based licensing; and (3) leasing unassigned spectrum in bands previously auctioned. Comments and reply comments on these approaches are due by April 8 and April 22, 2024, respectively. 

Two-Factor Authentication for CORES

The FCC’s Office of Managing Director announced that two-factor authentication will be required to access the FCC’s Commission Registration System (“CORES”) beginning March 29. To increase the security of CORES, users will be prompted to request a six-digit secondary verification code, which will be sent to the email address associated with each username. It is recommended that CORES users confirm they have access to the email associated with their account and add a secondary email address if appropriate. 

Thomas B. Magee, Tracy P. Marshall, Sean A. Stokes, and Wesley K. Wright contributed to this article.