[SBE] SBE update on EAS meeting with FCC, FEMA, NOAA, NAB, NASBA

[John Poray]

To: Subscribers to the SBE Roundtable and EAS Exchange mail lists and the
SBE EAS Committee

 

The following is report of a meeting held October 17 with federal officials
and broadcast representatives about the status of next generation EAS/public
alerting. The report was prepared by Clay Freinwald, Richard Rudman and John
Poray. Questions are welcome and can be posed through either mail list.

 

John Poray

SBE Executive Director

 

Broadcasters, Federal Agencies Discuss Next Generation Public Alerting

 

On October 17, the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) chaired a meeting in
Washington, D.C. to discuss the next generation of public alerting.
Attending the meeting with SBE were representatives of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National
Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the National Alliance of State
Broadcast Associations (NASBA).

 

The purpose of the meeting was to bring together federal agencies
responsible for developing and implementing an improved emergency
notification system with representatives of the broadcast industry.
Representing SBE at the meeting were Clay Freinwald, national SBE Emergency
Alert System (EAS) Committee chair, who led the meeting, Richard Rudman, a
member of  SBE's EAS Committee and John Poray, Executive Director.

 

Based on comments from the representatives of the federal agencies in
attendance, there is much work to be done before any firm plan for the next
generation alerting plan will be known. The agencies all said that input
from the broadcast industry is needed and will be solicited to help design
the system. FEMA, which has primary responsibility for system architecture,
anticipates a system that will provide redundancy and resiliency. FEMA said
their "IPAWS" plan will essentially be a "system of systems" and that a next
generation of EAS would constitute one of those systems. NASBA
representatives made it clear that funding for any required equipment should
come from the federal government.       

 

FEMA is preparing a "first assessment" of architecture for the White House,
due by December 31 of this year. SBE representatives came away from the
meeting feeling that there will likely be no action required of local
broadcasters for at least a year and possibly longer. The group anticipates
another meeting in January, 2008 to hear updates from the federal agencies
and continue the dialogue. 

 

 <mailto:y at sbe.org> 

*****************************************

John L. Poray, CAE

Executive Director

Society of Broadcast Engineers, Inc.

9102 N. Meridian Street, Suite 150

Indianapolis, IN 46260 USA

Phone: (317) 846-9000   Fax:(317) 846-9120

 <mailto:jporay at sbe.org> jporay at sbe.org