House telecom leaders anticipate a surge of activity as the DTV transition approaches, they said, and they sought answers from acting NTIA Administrator Meredith Baker and FCC Chairman Kevin Martin on plans for the five months before the DTV switchover in February. Concern included how well NTIA will handle an anticipated increase in the number of requests for converter-box coupons. “We need a specific plan to get this surge of applications processed and out the door early, so consumers don’t wait a significant amount of time” to get their coupons, House Telecom Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey, D-Mass., told Baker. He asked for a detailed plan within 30 days and answers within 48 hours to a letter he and House Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., had sent asking NTIA why it’s seeking an additional $7 million to run the coupon program.

Major wireless carriers said in letters to the FCC they plan to offer subscribers alerts via cellphone and other wireless devices starting in December 2010, when the Commercial Mobile Alert System launches. But carriers may not be able to guarantee service to all customers in all markets by that date, they warned. Sprint Nextel noted a problem alerting millions using its unique iDEN network. Many smaller carriers have advised the FCC they don’t plan to provide alerts (CD Sept 3 p5). Letters declaring whether carriers will participate in the alert system were due at the FCC Monday.

Verizon Wireless warned the FCC that it may not be in a position to implement a system for sending emergency alerts to subscribers across its networks when requirements kick in starting in December 2010. Verizon Wireless was the only major carrier to file by our deadline about whether it will participate in the Commercial Mobile Alert Service warning system. Verizon Wireless says it plans to transmit the warnings, but may come up short in some areas in the early going. “While it is Verizon Wireless’ intention to offer CMAS in all of its service markets on or before the implementation deadline, there are too many uncertainties at this time with respect to the Federal Alert Aggregator system specifications and vendor hardware and software development for the company to be able to state with certainty that it will be able to provide CMAS in each of its markets within the implementation timeframes,” the carrier said. Numerous small carriers have already indicated they will not transmit warnings. Participation in the program, mandated by the WARN Act, is voluntary, but carriers must give customers “clear and conspicuous notice” if they elect not to take part. Verizon Wireless said it will provide the required notice to customers unable to receive alerts.

Some small carriers are notifying the FCC they will sit out a new program for sending emergency alerts to cellphones and other wireless devices. Participation in the program, whose existence is mandated by the WARN Act, is voluntary, but carriers must give customers “clear and conspicuous notice” if they elect not to take part. Filings are due Sept. 8, with many more carriers likely to opt out of the alerts, industry sources said Tuesday.

Wireless carriers choosing not to send emergency alerts to subscribers must warn customers of that with “clear and conspicuous notice” at the carrier store, kiosk or any other place service is sold, the agency said late Thursday. The FCC will hold carriers responsible for ensuring that distributors who sell their service indirectly likewise post notice, it said. Carriers can’t impose a separate charge to offset the costs of the warnings, but can charge more for service, the agency said. The FCC action was required by the WARN Act.

Two new IPTV standards developed by the ATIS IPTV Interoperability Forum address the government’s need to reach the public in emergencies, said forum Chairman Dan O'Callaghan in an interview. The two standards are the Electronic Program Guide (EPG) Metadata Specification and the Emergency Alert System (EAS) Metadata Specification, released earlier. The standards will be implemented in equipment used by service providers and consumers, O'Callaghan said. The EPG standard lets IPTV users access information about a limitless amount of programming sent over an IP network, ATIS said. The EAS standard offers the service provider greater control over how the alert is presented to the user, it said. Messages sent under the new EAS standard use XML to convey the information, offering more flexibility without requiring a retrofit of the system, O'Callaghan said. In adapting the EAS to IPTV service, ATIS supports the government’s plan to move to the XML-based Common Alerting Protocol, ATIS said. The FCC has said broadcasters must be able to accept messages using that protocol.

KANSAS CITY -- The FCC is on the trail of public safety licensees who haven’t filed 800 MHz rebanding plans or sought a waiver from June’s reconfiguration deadline. Meanwhile, in some areas licensees are ready to reband but have had to stop because systems they're tied into are not, industry players said this week at the APCO annual conference.

A national emergency communications plan released Thursday fills alert system gaps, the Department of Homeland Security said. “More than 50,000 independent agencies across the Nation routinely use emergency communications, and each of these agencies is governed by the laws of its respective jurisdiction or area of responsibility,” the plan said. “In such an environment, collaborative planning among all levels of government is critical for ensuring effective and fully coordinated preparedness and response.” The plan is available on the department’s website, http://www.dhs.gov.

Broadcasters’ efforts to put more of their receivers in mobile devices like cellphones, PDAs and laptops continue, now that the FCC has issued rules on the Commercial Mobile Alert Service this month. Broadcasters lobbied FCC commissioners on the public-safety benefits of putting FM receivers in mobile phones (CD June 20 p7). Those efforts weren’t acknowledged overtly in a July 8 FCC order on the CMAS rules, but broadcasters believe carriers can use the FM system for alerts within the framework laid out by the FCC, Emmis CEO Jeffrey Smulyan said in an interview. “My understanding is that our solution fits within the rules,” he said. Meanwhile, TV broadcasters’ efforts to develop a mobile DTV system are leading them to discussions with mobile carriers as well.

The FCC will not require wireless carriers to test a new emergency alert system for cellphones by sending warnings to all subscribers who otherwise would get alerts, said an order released late Tuesday. But the FCC does expect carriers to be able to test commercial mobile service alert system (CMAS) messages’ ability to reach their targets, it said. The FCC approved its latest order and rulemaking implementing wireless handset alerting rules developed by the Commercial Mobile Service Alert Advisory Committee.