Maryland Attorney General Joins Coalition Demanding FCC Publish Long-Delayed Multilingual Emergency Alert Rule

Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has joined a coalition of 18 other state attorneys general and New York City in a formal demand for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to immediately publish a rule that would significantly broaden language access for critical emergency alerts sent to cell phones. The rule, which was unanimously adopted by the FCC in January 2025, aims to extend emergency alerts to 13 additional languages, including American Sign Language (ASL). However, the FCC has reportedly delayed implementing this rule for the past ten months. The coalition has sent a letter to the FCC stating their readiness to pursue legal action if the rule is not submitted for publication within the next 30 days.

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) are a vital public warning system, delivering short, text-like messages from government agencies through cellular carriers to alert individuals about impending dangers. These threats can range from severe weather and natural disasters to missing persons and other public safety emergencies. While these alerts have historically been disseminated primarily in English, with Spanish support being a more recent addition, the FCC voted in 2023 to expand the alert system to include more languages. The subsequent adoption of the Multilingual Alerts Order in January 2025 mandated the implementation of pre-translated alert templates in the 13 most common non-English languages spoken in the U.S., alongside American Sign Language. Once officially published in the Federal Register, wireless carriers are given a 30-month window to update their systems to support these multilingual alerts.

The FCC’s failure to publish the finalized rule nearly ten months after its adoption has effectively halted national efforts to modernize the emergency alert system. This delay prevents non-English speaking communities from receiving timely and potentially life-saving information during emergencies. Without this expanded language accessibility, individuals who do not speak English as their primary language are at a disadvantage in protecting themselves and their families from critical threats. The attorneys general and New York City argue that the FCC’s inaction violates federal law, specifically the Administrative Procedure Act and the FCC’s own regulations, which mandate the publication of adopted rules. The demand letter further emphasizes that this obligation to publish remains, even in the context of an ongoing federal government shutdown.

The coalition supporting Attorney General Brown’s demand includes the attorneys general from Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, in addition to New York City. The broader implementation of this rule could significantly enhance public safety across the nation by ensuring more individuals can receive and understand critical emergency information in a language they comprehend. Residents in areas prone to natural disasters or other emergencies should be aware that this delay impacts the accessibility of vital safety notifications.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from the Maryland Attorney General’s Office.

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