The FCC has said yes to a request from the NAB for an expedited retroactive extension of the waiver of a rule that requires television broadcasters to provide an aural representation of visual, non-textual emergency information that is displayed during non-newscast programming, such as radar maps or other graphics, on a secondary audio stream.
The waiver is tied to the FCC’s Audible Crawl Rule, which had a compliance deadline of May 26, 2015. The NAB has argued that rule compliance is all but impossible, as the technology that exists today is not capable of producing what is required under the rules. As such, successive waivers to the rule — rather than reversing the rule altogether — have come from the Commission.
However, the last waiver period ended with no resolution, putting stations in jeopardy of non-compliance. That led the NAB to act, and ask that the FCC swiftly move ahead with a new six-month waiver made effective on the day after the previous waiver period concluded.
That’s now transpired, as the FCC grants the NAB’s request for a six-month period from November 26, 2024 through May 27, 2025, or until there is a ruling on the underlying NAB petition for rulemaking and waiver extension, whichever comes first.
— RBR+TVBR Washington Bureau
