Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined 18 other state attorneys general and New York City in urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to publish a rule that would expand emergency alerts to more languages. The rule, which was finalized and unanimously adopted by the FCC in January 2025, would require government emergency alerts sent to mobile devices to be available in 13 additional languages as well as American Sign Language (ASL).
In a letter addressed to the FCC, the coalition warned that if the rule is not published within 30 days, they are prepared to pursue legal action.
“Emergency alerts are designed to reach and protect all members of our communities, and they are only truly effective when they reach people in the languages they understand,” Nessel said. “The FCC has delayed the implementation of this much-needed rule for far too long, and I stand with my colleagues in calling for the FCC to do their job and make sure this life-saving rule is finally put into action.”
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) are short messages sent by government agencies through cell carriers to warn about imminent threats such as severe weather or public safety emergencies. While these alerts have traditionally been issued only in English—with Spanish added recently—the new Multilingual Alerts Order adopted by the FCC requires pre-translated alert templates in the most commonly spoken non-English languages and ASL.
The order specifies that once it is published in the Federal Register, wireless carriers will have 30 months to update their systems for multilingual support. However, nearly ten months after adoption, publication has not occurred. Because of this delay, efforts to modernize emergency communications remain stalled, leaving many non-English-speaking communities without timely information during emergencies.
Nessel and her colleagues argue that under federal law—including the Administrative Procedure Act—and FCC regulations, adopted rules must be published in the Federal Register. They contend that failing to do so violates these requirements and emphasize that this obligation persists even during a federal government shutdown.
Other attorneys general joining Nessel include those from Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin; New York City also signed on.
