[sbe-eas] FCC Report and Order draft provides time to comply

[Adrienne Abbott]

There might be some confusion here between Monitoring Assignments and Event Codes. While the Monitoring Assignments in a state EAS plan are mandatory, the state plan cannot mandate that a broadcaster carry every state/local EAS Event Code activation sent by that Monitoring Assignment station. The EAS Plan and the SECC do not have the authority to back up a requirement created for Event Codes at the state and local levels. 

 

And you have to ask yourself “What kind of sense does it make for a coastal state like California or Massachusetts to mandate that all stations carry an EAS activation with the TSU Event Code in the state plan when a tsunami wouldn’t reach western Massachusetts or eastern California?” And if it did, we’d have bigger problems than anything EAS could resolve. 

 

The FCC leaves state and local EAS planning and use in the hands of state and local broadcasters and officials who write the state and local plans. EAS plans include the entire FCC list of Event Codes, but to be more useful, those plans should also list the specific codes which have historically been used in that state or local area. That, at least, would give broadcasters an idea of what kinds of emergencies/disasters might lead to EAS activations and be helpful in deciding how to process those activations. 

 

Monsoon season is in full swing here in the west and the National Weather Service is busy pumping out advisories, statements, watches and warnings for afternoon thunderstorms. Most of our entertainment-heavy radio and TV stations tend to ignore the Severe Weather warnings, until an area floods, or there’s a mud/rockslide across a major roadway or highway or a wildland fire started by lightning and local officials are issuing evacuation orders. The news/talk radio stations and TV news stations love these warnings because there’s not a producer on the planet who doesn’t live for the words “breaking news”. Their newscasts just write themselves. 

Adrienne

 

Adrienne Abbott, W6BCY

Nevada EAS Chair

"Radio burps, it cries, it needs to be fed all the time, it requires constant attention, but we love it." Jim Aaron WGLN 

 

From: sbe-eas On Behalf Of Lowell Kiesow
Subject: Re: [sbe-eas] FCC Report and Order draft provides time to comply

 

I think you might be mistaken. FCC Part 11 does not give the states authority to make any alert codes mandatory.

 

Lowell Kiesow
Chief Engineer
 <http://knkx.org/> 88 <http://www.jazz24.org/> . <http://knkx.org/> 5 FM KNKX ●  <http://www.jazz24.org/>  Jazz24.org

 <mailto:lkiesow at knkx.org> lkiesow at knkx.org ●

 

Bob Reite wrote:

The PA state plan requires the relay of any Warnings.   So during the 
Summertime a lot of Severe Thunderstorm Warnings go out.  Watches are 
optional and nobody I know sends those, it would be far too annoying.




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