FEMA Providing $40 Million to Improve Resilience and Security of Public Broadcasting’s Early Warning Systems

WASHINGTON -- FEMA has made $40 million available for the Next Generation Warning System Grant Program (NGWSGP). This grant program focuses on improving and upgrading the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), which provides timely and effective warnings during emergencies to people in America. The funding helps build local capacity across the nation to withstand tomorrow's hazards.

The NGWSGP will support investments that improve the resilience and security of public broadcasting networks and systems to distribute emergency alerts, warnings and emergency information. It will help public stations, especially those covering rural areas and underserved communities, upgrade to the latest broadcast technology standards that enable advanced dissemination of emergency messaging to televisions and radios.

This year's funding came through the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2024 and is available to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CBP). CPB will manage a competitive process to solicit sub-grant applications to use these funds following requirements and priorities established by FEMA.

Specifically, this grant program seeks to:

• Enhance and expand capacity, resilience, continuity of broadcast operations, operational readiness and cybersecurity of local broadcast stations to receive, broadcast and redistribute emergency alert messages from the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System using IPAWS Specification for Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) to fill gaps in alert and warning to people in underserved areas;
• Improve station resiliency and emergency alerting through training for users of IPAWS;
• Implement upgrades to the Advanced Television Systems Committee 3.0 and digital radio broadcast standard to ensure local broadcast stations can launch new, enhanced broadcast services to expand the distribution of public alert and warnings; and
• Increase the ability for underserved communities, individuals with disabilities and those with access and functional needs, to receive emergency information by purchasing and distributing consumer receivers where there is a public need.

The NWSGP Notice of Funding Opportunity is available at FEMA.gov and Grants.gov. This application period will close at 5 p.m. ET on Sept. 12, 2024. FEMA anticipates that all awards will be finalized no later than Sept. 30, 2024.