CPB Rescission Will Hurt Rollout of the Missing and Endangered Persons Alert

Flagstaff, AZ, June 4, 2025 — The nationwide implementation of the Missing and Endangered Persons (MEP) Alert, set to launch nationwide in September 2025, is at risk following the proposed defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). This critical public safety alert poised to save lives, particularly in Tribal and rural communities, relies on public broadcasting stations' unique reach and trust. Without CPB support, Tribal radio and television stations may go dark or lose their capacity to deliver timely, life-saving alerts to the public with less revenue.

The MEP Alert, unanimously approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in August 2024, is designed to fill a dangerous gap in emergency alerting systems. While the AMBER Alert serves abducted childrens’ cases, the MEP Alert responds to the urgent needs of all other at-risk persons who do not meet the strict criteria of existing alerts. These include vulnerable adults with cognitive or physical disabilities, elders, and, disproportionately, Indigenous people. It will also apply to minors who do not meet the AMBER Alert criteria.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), reports that in 2023 alone, over 190,000 individuals were reported missing in the United States. Among these, Indigenous people go missing at rates far exceeding their population size, often without receiving national attention or timely law enforcement response. According to the National Crime Information Center, more than 10,000 Indigenous persons went missing last year, and many more were unreported and uncounted due to jurisdictional and systemic failures. The MEP Alert was developed in direct response to advocacy from Native Public Media, Tribal nations, and Native organizations calling for a culturally appropriate, life-saving tool that ensures no one is left behind in times of crisis.

“The launch of the MEP Alert is a historic step forward for public safety,” said Loris Taylor, President and CEO at Native Public Media. “Public broadcasting stations located in our Tribal communities are essential to the success of this alert. Thirty-six of our stations receive the CPB Community Service Grant.  Without CPB support, these stations will be unable to provide the MEP Alert where it is needed the most.”

The FCC Commissioners' unanimous support of the MEP Alert reflects its national importance and the urgency of addressing longstanding disparities in missing persons response. Public media is a lifeline in communities where internet or cell coverage is unreliable, and local stations are often the first, and sometimes only, source of trusted information during emergencies. Advocates are calling on Congress to preserve CPB funding and protect the MEP Alert rollout.

“The CPB provides critical funding, training, and technical resources that enable these stations to maintain Emergency Alert System (EAS) equipment, participate in national alerting networks, and serve the public good. Defunding the CPB would jeopardize not only the MEP Alert launch but also the broader emergency alerting infrastructure millions of Americans rely on during natural disasters, civil emergencies, and public safety threats,” states Gerad Godfrey from Port Lions, Alaska.

“Lives are at stake. The MEP Alert has the potential to reunite families, protect vulnerable individuals, and bring justice to communities that have waited far too long for a system that includes them,” states Taylor.