FCC Should Use Existing Event Code Instead of Proposed New Blue Alert Code, Says Monroe
The FCC should use its existing law enforcement warning (LEW) event code for emergencies involving danger to law enforcement officials instead of creating a new BLU event code as proposed in an NPRM (see 1706190080), said emergency alert system equipment…
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manufacturer Monroe Electronics in comments in docket 15-94. “The addition of a new EAS event code may involve various costs and operational considerations for EAS and public warning stakeholders which may not have been adequately factored in.” The two states that incorporated EAS into Blue Alert processes already use LEW, and the code could be redefined to only be used for the scenarios described in the NPRM, Monroe said. Because the LEW code is already present on all current EAS devices, new rules for blue alerts could take effect immediately, Monroe said. Creating a new event code would require “a substantially extended timeline for both EAS and WEA [wireless emergency alerts], additional costs to EAS Participants and manufacturers, and the need to revise some Blue Alert plans and all state EAS plans,” Monroe said. The Blue Alert system and the upcoming nationwide EAS test (see 1707240042) also would be better served by the FCC taking action on a Monroe proposal to transition the EAS system to “Triggered CAP [common alerting protocol] Polling” (see 1701090043), the company said: EAS equipment would poll the system to check if the more informative CAP alert was also available, and if so, run with that instead of the less useful old-style alert.