Rule2026-00960
Wireless Emergency Alerts and the Emergency Alert System
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
January 20, 2026
Effective
June 12, 2028
Issuing agencies
Federal Communications Commission
Abstract
In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved a non-substantive change to the information collection associated with Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) rules adopted in a Report and Order issued by the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (Multilingual WEA Implementation Report and Order). These rules describe how commercial mobile service providers who participate in WEA (Participating CMS Providers) must implement multilingual templates for the most commonly issued and most time-sensitive types of alerts in English, the next thirteen most commonly spoken languages in the United States, and American Sign Language (ASL). Specifically, Participating CMS Providers shall support the pre-scripted templates published in 90 FR 57288 for eighteen emergency events. For English and the thirteen written languages, Participating CMS Providers must support the inclusion of four fillable elements that customize the pre-scripted alert templates: the name of the sending agency, the location pertaining to the alert message, the time when the emergency conditions described in the alert are expected to end, and an optional URL. When an alert originator sends a non-English template message, Participating CMS Providers must display the corresponding pre-scripted alert message in English after the non-English message.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 12 (Tuesday, January 20, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 12 (Tuesday, January 20, 2026)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 2317-2318]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-00960]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 10
[PS Docket Nos. 15-91 and 15-94; DA 25-12; FR ID 326387]
Wireless Emergency Alerts and the Emergency Alert System
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Final rule; announcement of compliance date.
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SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal Communications Commission
(Commission) announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
has approved a non-substantive change to the information collection
associated with Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) rules adopted in a
Report and Order issued by the Public Safety and Homeland Security
Bureau (Multilingual WEA Implementation Report and Order). These rules
describe how commercial mobile service providers who participate in WEA
(Participating CMS Providers) must implement multilingual templates for
the most commonly issued and most time-sensitive types of alerts in
English, the next thirteen most commonly spoken languages in the United
States, and American Sign Language (ASL). Specifically, Participating
CMS Providers shall support the pre-scripted templates published in 90
FR 57288 for eighteen emergency events. For English and the thirteen
written languages, Participating CMS Providers must support the
inclusion of four fillable elements that customize the pre-scripted
alert templates: the name of the sending agency, the location
pertaining to the alert message, the time when the emergency conditions
described in the alert are expected to end, and an optional URL. When
an alert originator sends a non-English template message, Participating
CMS Providers must display the corresponding pre-scripted alert message
in English after the non-English message.
DATES: Effective June 12, 2028. The amendments to 47 CFR 10.480
(amendatory instruction 2) and 47 CFR 10.500(e) (amendatory instruction
3), published at 90 FR 57288 on December 10, 2025, are effective on
June 12, 2028.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joshua Gehret, Cybersecurity and
Communications Reliability Division, Public Safety and Homeland
Security Bureau, (202) 418-7816 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e2888d918a9783cc85878a908796a2848181cc858d94"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="aec4c1ddc6dbcf80c9cbc6dccbdaeec8cdcd80c9c1d8">[email protected]</span></a>. For the
Paperwork Reduction Act information collection requirements contained
in this document, contact Nicole Ongele, Office of Managing Director,
Performance and Program Management, 202-418-2991 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#21717360614742420f464e57"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="db8b899a9bbdb8b8f5bcb4ad">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document announces that OMB approved
the non-substantive change to the information collection requirements
in 47 CFR 10.480 and 47 CFR 10.500(e) on January 12, 2026.
The Commission publishes this document as an announcement of the
compliance date of the rules.
If you have any comments on the burden estimates listed in the
following, or how the Commission can improve the collections and reduce
any burdens caused thereby, please contact Nicole Ongele, Federal
Communications Commission, 45 L Street NE, Washington, DC 20554. Please
include OMB Control Number, 3060-1113, in your correspondence. The
Commission will also accept your comments via email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9acac8dbdafcf9f9b4fdf5ec"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="df8f8d9e9fb9bcbcf1b8b0a9">[email protected]</span></a>. To
request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities
(Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an email
to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#94f2f7f7a1a4a0d4f2f7f7baf3fbe2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0f696c6c3a3f3b4f696c6c21686079">[email protected]</span></a> or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau
at (202) 418-0530 (voice).
Synopsis
As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
3507), the FCC is notifying the public that it received OMB approval on
January 12, 2026 of changes to 47 CFR 10.480 and 47 CFR 10.500(e) that
OMB determined are non-substantive changes to the previously approved
collection.
Under 5 CFR part 1320, an agency may not conduct or sponsor a
collection of information unless it displays a current, valid OMB
Control Number.
No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply
with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act
that does not display a current, valid OMB Control Number.
The foregoing notice is required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, Public Law 104-13, October 1, 1995, and 44 U.S.C. 3507.
The total annual reporting burdens and costs for the respondents
are as follows:
OMB Control Number: 3060-1113.
OMB Approval Date: January 12, 2026.
OMB Expiration Date: August 31, 2027.
Title: Election Whether to Participate in the Wireless Emergency
Alerts.
Form Number: N/A.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Respondents: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-profit
institutions; State, Local or Tribal Government.
Number of Respondents and Responses: 1,253 respondents; 5,176
responses.
Estimated Timer per Response: 0.50-12 hours.
Frequency of Response: On occasion and semi-annual reporting
requirements.
[[Page 2318]]
Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
Statutory authority for this collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. 151,
152, 154, 301, 303, 307, 309, 403, and 606, of the Communications Act
of 1934, as amended, and 1201, 1203, 1204, and 1206 of the Warning
Alert and Response Network Acts.
Total Annual Burden: 106,943 hours.
Total Annual Cost: $7,050,800.
Needs and Uses: The modifications OMB approved provides
implementation details for how WEA messages will be made available by
Participating CMS providers in English and the 13 most commonly spoken
languages in the U.S., as well as American Sign Language. This will
make these alerts available for the first time to the millions of
Americans who are not native English speakers and to our hearing
impaired population.
In the Multilingual WEA Implementation Order, 90 FR 57288, the
Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau requires Participating CMS
Providers to implement multilingual templates for the most commonly
issued and most time-sensitive types of alerts in English, the next
thirteen most commonly spoken languages in the United States, and
American Sign Language (ASL). Specifically, Participating CMS Providers
shall support the pre-scripted templates published in 90 FR 57288 for
eighteen emergency events. For English and the thirteen written
languages, Participating CMS Providers must support the inclusion of
four fillable elements that customize the pre-scripted alert templates:
the name of the sending agency, the location pertaining to the alert
message, the time when the emergency conditions described in the alert
are expected to end, and an optional URL. When an alert originator
sends a non-English template message, Participating CMS Providers must
display the corresponding pre-scripted alert message in English after
the non-English message.
Federal Communications Commission.
Zenji Nakazawa,
Chief, Public Safety Homeland Security Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2026-00960 Filed 1-16-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
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