April 20 (UPI) -- The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday proposed new rules that would make wireless emergency alerts available in more than a dozen languages, and also possibly allow small images to be sent.
The agency said that it would require wireless providers to translate alerts into the 13 most common languages in the United States. It also explores the possibility of supporting American Sign Language and text-to-speech.
It also would enable originators to end thumbnail-sized images, particularly for AMBER alerts, allowing the public to see the alert, as well as read it.
"Taken together, the Commission's proposals would help public safety officials keep their communities safe during emergencies and provide all stakeholders, including the public, with more information on how WEA is performing in their area," the FCC said in its notice.
The new rules come after Floridians were awakened at 4:45 a.m. when the state's Emergency Alert System was accidentally triggered for a test.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management apologized on Twitter about four hours later.
"We know a 4:45 a.m. wakeup call isn't ideal," the division tweeted. "@FLSERT wants to apologize for the early morning text. Each month, we test #emergencyalerts on a variety of platforms. This alert was supposed to be on TV, and not disturb anyone already sleeping."
