Summary of New Rules on Televised Emergency Information
On April 8, 2013, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted rules to make 
televised emergency information more accessible to individuals who are blind or visually 
impaired, as required by the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act 
of 2010 (CVAA).
Current Requirements
Sometimes emergency information is provided visually during a regularly scheduled newscast, 
or a newscast that interrupts regular programming.  The FCC expects that broadcasters, cable and 
satellite television service providers, and other multichannel video programming distributors will 
aurally describe the emergency information in the main audio as part of their ordinary 
operations.  
Sometimes emergency information is provided visually during regular programming that is not a 
newscast.  For example, sometimes information about an emergency appears as text “crawling” 
across the top or bottom of the television screen during regular programming.  When this 
happens, the emergency information that is provided visually is accompanied by an aural tone.  
The aural tone alerts people that emergency information is being provided visually and people 
with vision disabilities should find another source, such as a radio, for information about the 
emergency.
Future Requirements
The new rules require emergency information that is provided visually during regular 
programming that is not a newscast to be provided aurally on a “secondary audio” feature.
Broadcasters, cable and satellite television service providers, and other multichannel video 
programming distributors must comply with the new rules by May 26, 2015.  The Weather 
Channel has an additional six months to comply, and DIRECTV has an additional one year to 
comply with regard to emergency information it provides via The Weather Channel.  
The FCC also adopted rules to ensure that certain equipment used to receive, play back, or record 
television programs (such as televisions, set-top boxes, and digital video recorders) are able to 
make the secondary audio feature available to convey televised emergency information.  
Equipment manufacturers must comply with the new rules by May 26, 2015.
Secondary audio features are also used to provide video description, a service that makes 
television programs more accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. The 
FCC’s “Video Description” consumer guide has information about secondary audio features and 
video description requirements.