[EAS] FCC NPRM on improving EAS just issued

[Sean Donelan]

On Mon, 1 Feb 2016, Dave Kline wrote:
> Having just done a cursory read of the NPRM released January 29, 2016, I don't see why some are condemning this or others feel the need to defend it. Nothing here is cast in stone, yet.
>
> It is a Notice of Proposed Rule Making, not a Report and Order.

FCC must follow the Administrative Procedures Act, but is sometimes 
unpredictable how they follow it.

If FCC just wanted people's response to some questions, it could issue a
Notice of Inquiry (NOI).  FCC chose not to issue a NOI.

Under APA, a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) must ask for comments
and FCC must review all the comments. FCC doesn't have to agree with the
comments. FCC usually picks and chooses comments. Based on the comments, 
FCC may do nothing, make changes and issue another NPRM, or issue a Final 
Report & Order.  You can never predict what 3 out of 5 commissions will 
vote to do.

Unlike a NOI, a NPRM implies these are the rules being proposed for 
adoption.