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 PUBLIC  NOTICE  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  St.,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 DA-  02-  2312 
 September  19,  2002 


 NOTICE  REGARDING  FCC  CERTIFICATION  OF  EAS  DECODER 
 Low  Power  FM  Stations  Must  Install  Certified  EAS  Decoders  Within  One  Year  of  Publication  of  this  Public  Notice  in  Federal  Register 
 Cable  Systems  Serving  Fewer  Than  5,000  Subscribers  May  Comply  with  October  1,  2002  Deadline  to  Install  EAS  Equipment  by  Installing  Certified  EAS  Decoder 


 In  a  Report  and  Order  released  on  February  26,  2002,  the  Federal  Communications  Commission  granted  low  power  FM  stations  a  temporary  blanket  waiver  of  the  requirement  in 
 the  EAS  rules  to  install  FCC-  certified  decoders.  1  The  Commission  based  grant  of  the  waiver  on  the  fact  that,  at  that  time,  there  were  no  FCC-  certified  EAS  decoders  on  the  market.  The 
 Commission  concurrently  amended  the  EAS  rules  to  exempt  low  power  FM  stations  from  installing  FCC-  certified  EAS  decoders  until  one  year  after  the  Commission  published  in  the 
 Federal  Register  a  Public  Notice  indicating  that  at  least  one  EAS  decoder  has  been  certified.  2  Finally,  the  Commission  also  amended  the  EAS  rules  in  the  Report  and  Order  to  permit  cable 
 systems  serving  fewer  than  5,000  subscribers  to  use  an  FCC-  certified  decoder,  if  such  a  device  became  available  by  October  1,  2002,  in  lieu  of  an  encoder/  decoder  unit. 


 On  July  23,  2002,  the  Commission  staff  granted  an  equipment  authorization  for  an  Emergency  Alert  System  (“  EAS”)  decoder  unit  to  equipment  manufacturer  TFT,  Inc. 
 Accordingly,  within  one  year  of  publication  of  this  Public  Notice  in  the  Federal  Register,  low  power  FM  stations  will  be  required  to  install  certified  EAS  decoders.  In  addition,  cable 
 systems  that  serve  fewer  than  5,000  subscribers  may  comply  with  the  Commission’s  requirement  to  install  EAS  equipment  by  October  1,  2002,  by  installing  a  certified  EAS  decoder, 
 rather  than  both  an  encoder  and  a  decoder.  3 
 For  further  information  contact  John  Winston  at  202-  418-  7450  or  Bonnie  Gay  at  (202)  418-  1228. 


 By  the  Chief,  Technical  and  Public  Safety  Division,  Enforcement  Bureau. 
 1  Amendment  of  Part  11  of  the  Commission’s  Rules  Regarding  the  Emergency  Alert  System,  (Report  and 
 Order),  EB  Docket  No.  01-  66,  17  FCC  Rcd  4055  (2002)  (“  Report  and  Order”). 
 2  See  47  C.  F.  R.  §11.  11. 


 3  Report  and  Order,  17  FCC  Rcd  at  4082. 
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