FCC Stalls Life-Saving Alerts, AG James Prepares to Fight

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James is taking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to task, threatening legal action if the agency doesn’t immediately release a rule expanding multilingual access to emergency alerts. The move comes as communities nationwide, including those in New York City recently impacted by devastating floods, remain vulnerable due to language barriers.

The FCC unanimously approved the rule in January 2025, promising to extend critical alerts beyond English and Spanish to include 13 additional languages. This expansion was directly spurred by the 13 lives lost during Hurricane Ida in 2021 in New York City, many in neighborhoods where English proficiency is low. Attorney General James initially brought this disparity to the FCC’s attention, then led a coalition of states urging the agency to act. But ten months later, the rule remains unpublished, effectively killing the initiative.

“Language should never be a barrier to life-saving information,” Attorney General James stated bluntly. “Every New Yorker, regardless of language, deserves to know what to do when danger strikes. The FCC’s failure to publish this unanimously adopted rule is unacceptable and puts people at risk. We are demanding immediate action by the FCC to ensure that no community is left in the dark during future hurricanes, wildfires, or floods.”

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs), those short text-like messages warning of impending threats, are a cornerstone of modern disaster response. But their limited language availability has long been a critical flaw. The approved Multilingual Alerts Order mandates pre-translated alert templates in the 13 most commonly spoken non-English languages, as well as American Sign Language. Once published, wireless carriers would have 30 months to update their systems. The FCC’s inaction pushes that timeline indefinitely, leaving an estimated 1.3 million New Yorkers with limited English proficiency dangerously exposed.

Attorney General James, joined by a coalition of 18 other attorneys general and New York City, has issued a stern warning: publish the rule within 30 days or face a lawsuit. The coalition argues the FCC is violating the Administrative Procedure Act and its own regulations by refusing to finalize the rule. The delay isn’t just bureaucratic inertia; it’s a matter of life and death, leaving vulnerable populations to fend for themselves when disaster strikes. The Grimy Times will continue to monitor this developing situation and hold the FCC accountable.

The FCC has yet to respond to requests for comment. This isn’t the first time the agency has been accused of dragging its feet on issues impacting vulnerable communities. Critics suggest a pattern of prioritizing bureaucratic process over public safety, a charge the FCC vehemently denies. But for those 1.3 million New Yorkers, and countless others across the nation, the delay is more than just a political game – it’s a potential death sentence.

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