“Local radio and television stations, newspapers and web sites did an amazing job keeping the people of Louisiana and our region informed before, during and after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. As they have been required to do for more than 50 years, our broadcasters were on that front line, sounding the first alarm. But what good is a successful emergency information chain if the last link fails? No disaster warning, evacuation plan or emergency instruction matters if it cannot get to the people who need to hear it. That is why this bill is so important.”
 

What the Bill Does

• Establishes a Primary Entry Point (PEP) radio station in each state and territory currently without one, ensuring that emergency alerts reach every community where disaster may strike.
   
• Protects access to fuel, food, water and other supplies essential to staying on the air through a disaster.
   
• Provides federal matching grants to protect and upgrade critical-to-air broadcast facilities and infrastructure or to enhance disaster-related public information programming.
   
• Expedites access to disaster zones in order to repair, refuel or maintain critical broadcast facilities and infrastructure.
   
• Ensures that access to the disaster area by local journalists (print, broadcast and online) is determined by the local officials that know them best — not by out-of-town federal bureaucrats.
   

Resources

• Detailed Bill Summary
   
• Full Bill Text
   
• Press Release
   
• Introduction Floor Speech
  (Includes Video)
   
• NAB Keynote
  (Includes Video)
   
• Frequently Asked Questions
   

Real Stories of First Response Broadcasters

WWL-TV New Orleans, LA
Stayed on the air 24/7 before, during and after Hurricane Katrina and the breach of the levees.

WATCH THE VIDEO

KPLC-TV Lake Charles, LA
Served the people of Southwest Louisiana throughout Hurricane Rita and its aftermath.

WATCH THE VIDEO

WLOX-TV Biloxi, MS
Through thick and thin, stayed on the air as Hurricane Katrina battered coastal Mississippi.

WATCH THE VIDEO

WRC-TV Washington, DC
Kept viewers informed as the nation's capital went into a security lockdown on 9/11.

WATCH THE VIDEO

WNBC-TV New York, NY
Stayed on TV and radio providing transportation, health and other urgent updates on 9/11.

WATCH THE VIDEO

More Real Stories to Come!

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Your Station's Story

Senate Co-Sponsors

• Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska
   
• Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del.
   
• Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark.
   
• Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore.
   
• Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M.
   
• Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss.
   
• Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
   
• Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine
   
• Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont.
   
• Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.
   
• Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Tex.
   
• Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb.
   
• Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H.
   
• Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H.
   
• Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss.
   

Endorsements

• National Association of Broadcasters
   
• The Radio-Television News Directors Association
   
• The Association of Public Television Stations
   
• State broadcasting associations, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming and Washington, D.C.
   
• Calcasieu Parish (La.) Sheriff Tony Mancuso

Click Here to Add Your Organization to the List