[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 206 (Thursday, October 24, 2002)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 65321-65322]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-27093]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 11

[EB Docket No. 01-66; DA 02-2312]


FCC Certification of Emergency Alert System (EAS) Decoder

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal Communications Commission 
announces that An equipment authorization for an EAS decoder unit has 
been granted to equipment Manufacturer TFT, Inc. Low Power FM (LPFM) 
stations and cable systems that serve fewer Than 5,000 subscribers may 
comply with EAS equipment requirement requirements by Installing an EAS 
decoder unit, rather than and EAS encoder/decoder unit.

DATES: Effective October 24, 2003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bonnie Gay at (202) 418-1228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In a Report and Order released on February 
26, 2002, the Commission granted low power FM stations a temporary 
waiver of the requirement in the EAS rules to

[[Page 65322]]

install FCC-certified decoders. This Commission action was based upon 
the fact that, at that time, there were no FCC-certified EAS decoders 
on the market. The Commission, therefore, 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. 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 EAS decoder unit to equipment manufacturer TFT, 
Inc.
    Accordingly, within one year of publication of this Public Notice 
in the Federal Register, LPFM station 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.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 02-27093 Filed 10-23-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-02-P