[SBE] Working the kinks out of EAS

[russ at russvanderhorst.info]

Hi,


>From what I heard concerning the events of 9/11 (and I may be incorrect in this), the logic 

was that national networks were covering the event anyway, so there was no reason for a 
national alert. 

However...9/11 was but one incident. There was the terrible loss of 3000 lives, but in the 
event of a more soficticated attack (such as a biological) I think a national notification would 
be necessary. Just the way that I see it, but I do think that if it is in the regulations that 
national test be conducted (and I will check out the link that you put in your reply)...then 
there should be a push from local, state, and national officials to get this done. As 
broadcasters, we are but the medium which sends the information, it's the politicians that 
need to let us do our jobs and see if the system works. 

Thanks :-)

Russ


On 8 Oct 2009 at 16:03, Dan Mammone wrote:


> Russ,

> 

> I have yet to hear a National test since I started in the broadcast industry

> back in 2001. Even though "Periodic Tests" are specified in Part 11, I'm

> sure that annual or decades are NOT what they had in mind. The EAS Handbook

> (2007) from the FCC covers EAS Tests from National and State/Local areas.

> [FCC CFR 47 http://wireless.fcc.gov/index.htm?job=rules_and_regulations -

> good place to read all the FCC Rules]

> 

> I'm not sure why such tests are not done... maybe they thought that it would

> cause a national panic. But, I agree with your concern. Maybe they are

> assuming the Statewide tests are good enough, but the spec remains in Part

> 11 about National Tests. The other side of the coin is, maybe they are

> assuming that radio stations will air their affiliated news networks feeds

> as needed anyway (press conferences, addresses, etc). If that's the case,

> then the FCC Rules need to change to reflect that.

> 

> Not to rehash a controversy about this event, but if 9/11 wasn't important

> enough for a national announcement, what is? Only the President knows...

> 

> Dan Mammone CBRE, CBNT

> Broadcast Engineer

> WMCO-FM/Orbit TV6

> Muskingum University

> 

> 

> -----Original Message-----

> From: sbe-bounces at sbe.org [mailto:sbe-bounces at sbe.org] On Behalf Of

> russ at russvanderhorst.info

> Sent: Thursday, October 08, 2009 2:06 PM

> To: sbe at sbe.org

> Subject: [SBE] Working the kinks out of EAS

> 

> Hi All,

> 

> I have been following the conversation on the problems with EAS, and I have

> to admit that I 

> am bothered by the fact that something that is critical to the infastructure

> of our country is in 

> such poor condition. 

> 

> Hypothetical situation (and I pray this never happens), but let's say there

> were a biological 

> attack on Boston, MA. I live in NH, about an hour out of Boston. Many people

> who live in NH 

> commute to MA to work, including into Boston. Add to this the fact that many

> people near the 

> MA/NH border come to NH to shop as we don't have sales tax here...I could

> see a biological 

> threat to the New England states moving very quickly, and with little or no

> warning. 

> 

> again, I hope that this is something that never happens, however if it

> did...how hard would it 

> be to set up a national test of EAS. Of course, you would want to announce

> this several 

> weeks in advance that it is a test, and only a test...but I wouldn't think

> it would be that difficult 

> to do. If various people/agencies around the country knew the test was

> coming and when, it 

> would be possible to measure it's penatration and speed of propagation, find

> out what does 

> and doesn't work, and figure out a standard to make everything work as it

> should. 

> 

> If such an act were performed on the United States, travel would have to be

> frozen in order 

> to contain the situation, instructions would have to be given. you would of

> course get the 

> standard government message that "everything is under control" (whether it

> was or wasn't). 

> It is my (perhaps incorrect) understanding that if a national alert needed

> to be issued, it has 

> to be done within 10 minutes, and under the conditions I mentioned above,

> everyone should 

> be sitting still not going into or out of the danger area within 15 minutes.

> This is something I 

> would thing that congress and the president and the FCC would want to have

> working, yet 

> we are in a condition where we don't know if it works or not. Just my two

> cents worth, but if 

> the broadcast industry is not 100% certain the system works, then congress

> and the FCC 

> should be listening and doing everything they can to get the system fixed. 

> 

> Russ 

> 

> my webpage

> http://russvanderhorst.info

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http://russvanderhorst.info