Last month we reported on the addition of three new event codes (those would be EWW, SSA and SSW) and two revised location codes to the laundry list of EAS-related codes to be used in the headers of emergency announcements. As we noted back then, the FCC’s original order didn’t seem to mention exactly when … Continue Reading
While supporting the decision, Commissioner O’Rielly criticizes FCC’s “cost/benefit” analysis In what four out of five FCC Commissioners seem to view as a no-brainer, the Emergency Alert System just got three more event codes and two slightly-revised geographic location codes. The odd man out? Commissioner O’Rielly. He doesn’t question the potential utility of the new/revised … Continue Reading
FEMA-organized test to include 22 states, two territories and D.C. Here’s a big CommLawBlog HEADS UP for those of you broadcasting in any of these 25 (count ‘em, 25!) jurisdictions: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, … Continue Reading
More than six months ago we reported on some tweaks of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) that the FCC had adopted after analyzing the results of its 2011 national EAS test. While most of the changes kicked in last July, two revised sections of the rules – Sections 11.21(a) and 11.61(a)(3)(iv) – did not. That’s … Continue Reading
A couple of weeks ago we reported on the revisions to the Emergency Alert System rules adopted in the wake of the 2011 nationwide EAS test. Those revisions have now been published in the Federal Register, so we know that they will take effect on July 30, 2015. All the new rules, that is, EXCEPT … Continue Reading
After analyzing the performance of the Emergency Alert System during the 2011 nationwide test, and after twice soliciting input from interested parties, the Commission has decided to tweak the system.… Continue Reading
Problems with the EAS system surfaced in the 2011 nationwide test. Now the Commission is looking to fix them, but it could take a while and be pricey for EAS participants.… Continue Reading
Two years after the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, the FCC has identified, and is now seeking answers to, problems that cropped up.… Continue Reading