The Federal Communications Commission is set to consider the establishment of a new alert that would inform the public about missing and endangered Native Americans.
The MEP event code would be similar to an AMBER Alert already in use for missing children. It would cover those who don't meet the criteria for the AMBER alert and would be issued through the existing Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.
More than 10,000 Indigenous people were reported missing to the FBI in 2022 alone. One agency backing the alert, Native Public Media, says it would quickly alert law enforcement and bring attention to cases that often go unnoticed otherwise.
The FCC is scheduled to hear the proposal at their March 14 meeting. If approved, the proposed rules would then open for a public comment period.