FCC Extends 911 Certification and Broadcast EEO Reporting Deadlines on Hurricanes
With recent hurricanes knocking out 911 in many areas, the FCC Public Safety Bureau gave more time to file annual 911 reliability certifications for covered 911 service providers, among other steps late last week to provide leeway amid hurricane damage.…
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A Friday public notice in docket 13-75 extended the deadline to Oct. 30 from Oct. 15. “Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria have caused significant damage in the areas within their respective paths, including storm surge, wind damage and flooding,” the bureau said. “They also appear to have damaged communications networks, resulting in service disruptions and outages throughout these areas.” The Media Bureau extended a deadline for placing quarterly reports and equal employment opportunity information in the public file to Nov. 13 for broadcasters in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, said a PN Friday. The main public safety answering point in Puerto Rico was taken offline Wednesday, and the St.Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, call center is completely down, the FCC said in Friday’s Disaster Information Reporting System release. The Federal Emergency Management Agency “has reported significant damage to the building.” Large numbers of cable and wireline customers are still out of service in the affected areas, and few radio and TV stations are on-air, the report said.