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 PUBLIC  NOTICE  FEDERAL  COMMUNICATIONS  COMMISSION  445  12th  STREET,  S.  W.  WASHINGTON,  D.  C.  20554  DA  01-  799 
 News  media  information  202/  418-  0500  Fax-  On-  Demand  202/  418-  2830  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov 
 March  30,  2001 


 MASS  MEDIA  BUREAU  ACTION 


 AMENDED  EMERGENCY  INFORMATION  RULE 
 EFFECTIVE  AS  OF  FEBRUARY  1,  2001 


 On  August  7,  2000,  the  Commission  released  an  order,  1  which  among  other  things,  amended  section 
 79.2  of  the  Commission’s  rules.  2  The  amendments  require  TV  broadcasters  and  multichannel  video 
 programming  distributors  (MVPDs)  that  provide  emergency  information  to  make  that  information  more 
 accessible  to  persons  with  visual  disabilities.  Thus,  the  rules  require  TV  broadcasters  and  MVPDs  to  make 
 the  “critical  details”  of  emergency  information  accessible  to  persons  with  visual  disabilities  when  they 
 provide  that  information  as  part  of  a  regularly  scheduled  newscast,  or  a  newscast  that  interrupts  regular 
 programming.  3  TV  broadcasters  and  MVPDs  must  accompany  emergency  information  with  an  aural  tone 
 when  they  provide  that  information  in  any  other  manner,  such  as  through  a  crawl  or  a  scroll.  4 


 When  it  amended  section  79.  2  of  its  rules,  the  Commission  ordered  that  the  amended  rules  would  “be 
 effective  upon  approval  by  the  Office  of  Management  and  Budget”  5  (OMB).  The  Commission’s  staff  has 
 received  a  number  of  inquiries  about  the  status  of  OMB’s  approval  process.  Accordingly,  the  Mass  Media 
 Bureau  issues  this  Public  Notice  to  announce  that  OMB  approved  the  amended  rules  on  February  1,  2001 
 (OMB  No.  3060-  0967).  The  amended  rules  thus  have  been  effective  since  that  date. 


 Consumer  Information  Bureau  contact:  Pam  Gregory,  418-  2498  (voice),  or  418-  1169  (TTY). 
 Mass  Media  Bureau  contact:  Eric  Bash,  202-  418-  2130,  or  ebash@  fcc.  gov. 


 1  Implementation  of  Video  Description  of  Video  Programming,  MM  Docket  No.  99-  339,  Report  and  Order,  15 
 FCC  Rcd  15230  (2000)  (Report  and  Order),  on  recon.,  FCC  01-  7  (rel.  Jan.  18,  2001). 
 2  47  C.  F.  R.  §  79.2. 


 3  Id.  at  §  79.2(  b)(  1)(  ii). 
 4  Id.  at  79.2(  b)(  1)(  iii). 
 5  Report  and  Order,  15  FCC  Rcd  at  15251,  ¶  52. 
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