PUBLIC NOTICE
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th St., S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20554
News Media Information 202 / 418-0500
Internet: http://www.fcc.gov
TTY: 1-888-835-5322
DA 17-948
September 29, 2017
NOTICE CONCERNING EX PARTE STATUS 
OF FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION PARTICIPATION 
IN THE INTEGRATED PUBLIC ALERT AND WARNING SYSTEM (IPAWS) SUBCOMMITTEE
The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) Modernization Act of 2015 requires the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish an IPAWS Subcommittee (Subcommittee) to 
FEMA’s National Advisory Council (NAC).1 The IPAWS Subcommittee will develop recommendations to 
the NAC for an integrated public alert and warning system.2 The IPAWS Modernization Act also requires 
that the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (Chairman) or the Chairman’s designee be a 
member of the subcommittee.3  
As a member of the Subcommittee, the Chairman or the Chairman’s designee may be required to 
participate in or attend meetings or other activities held by both the Subcommittee and its working groups.  
Accordingly, pursuant to section 1.1200(a) of the Commission’s rules, 47 CFR § 1.1200(a), presentations to 
the Subcommittee, including to its working groups, any roundtable discussions sponsored by the 
Subcommittee, and presentations between the Subcommittee (including members of any working groups) 
and the Chairman or the Chairman’s designee, will be treated as exempt presentations for ex parte purposes.  
This treatment is appropriate since communications to the Chairman or the Chairman’s designee as 
Subcommittee members, like comments on a Notice of Inquiry, will not directly result in the promulgation of 
new rules.4  
We recognize, however, that issues that may be addressed by the Subcommittee may also be the 
subject of pending FCC proceedings.  The Commission will not rely in these proceedings on any information 
submitted to the Subcommittee, or to any of its working groups, or sponsored roundtables, or information 
conveyed by Subcommittee members (including members of any working groups) to the Chairman or the 
Chairman’s designee unless that information is first placed in the record of the relevant proceeding.
Additional information regarding the Subcommittee can be found at https://www.fema.gov/ipaws-
subcommittee.  You may also contact Tony R. Robles III, Alternate Designated Federal Official for the 
Subcommittee at (202) 212-5644 or Tony.Robles@fema.dhs.gov; or Gregory Cooke at (202) 418-2351 or 
gregory.cooke@fcc.gov. 
-FCC-
  
1  See 47 U.S.C. § 321o(b)(9) (referencing Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Modernization Act of 2015, 
Pub. L. No. 114-143, 130 Stat. 327, 329-32, § 2(b) (2016) (IPAWS Modernization Act)).
2 IPAWS Modernization Act § 2(b)(6).
3 IPAWS Modernization Act § 2(b)(2)(B). 
4 See 47 CFR § 1.1204(b)(1) (exempt treatment of presentations regarding a Notice of Inquiry).