Attorney General Clark and Coalition Call on FCC to Expand Multilingual Emergency Alerts

Attorney General Charity Clark today joined a coalition of 18 other attorneys general and New York City in demanding the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) immediately publish a long-delayed rule that would substantially expand language access for critical government emergency alerts sent to cell phones. The rule, finalized and unanimously adopted by the FCC in January 2025, would expand emergency alerts to 13 additional languages, including American Sign Language (ASL). However, for the last ten months, the FCC has been refusing to move to implement it. In a letter to the FCC, Attorney General NAME and the coalition warn that if the rule is not submitted for publication within 30 days, they are prepared to take legal action.

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) are short, text-like messages sent by government agencies through cell carriers to warn the public of imminent threats such as severe weather, natural disasters, missing persons, or public safety emergencies. These alerts are among the most widely used and effective public warning tools in the United States, but have historically been issued only in English, with Spanish alerts being supported only in recent years. In 2023, the FCC voted to expand to additional languages, and in January 2025, it formally adopted the Multilingual Alerts Order, which requires the implementation of pre-translated alert templates in the 13 most commonly spoken non-English languages and American Sign Language. The order dictates that once the rule is published in the Federal Register, wireless carriers will have 30 months to update their systems to support multilingual alerts.

Nearly ten months after adopting the order, however, the FCC has yet to officially publish it. Because the 30-month implementation period begins only upon publication, the FCC's inaction has stalled nationwide efforts to modernize the emergency alert system and ensure that more non-English-speaking communities receive timely, life-saving information during disasters or other emergencies. Without expanded language accessibility for WEAs, non-English speakers nationwide lack access to critical information to protect themselves and their families from severe weather and other emergencies.

Attorney General Clark and the coalition note that the Administrative Procedure Act and the FCC's own regulations require the agency to publish adopted rules in the Federal Register. By refusing to do so, the coalition argues, the FCC is violating federal law. The demand letter notes that the agency remains obligated to perform this non-discretionary duty even during the ongoing federal government shutdown.

Joining Attorney General Clark in sending today's demand letter are the attorneys general of Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai'i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin, as well as New York City.

A copy of the letter is available on our website.

CONTACT: Amelia Vath, Senior Advisor to the Attorney General, 802-828-3171