The effect on cellphone battery life if handsets must be capable of receiving emergency alerts has emerged as a major issue as the Commercial Mobile Service Alert Advisory Committee readies a final report. That issue is especially significant since recharging a phone can be difficult or impossible during emergencies. The report is due to be submitted to the FCC in Oct. The full committee met Wed. for the 3rd time at FCC hq for an update on emerging issues (CD Dec 13 p3) and to receive reports from its working groups.
The FCC will require satellites in the 17/24 GHz BSS band, also known as the reverse band, to operate at least 4 degrees from each other, it said Fri. DBS uses the band to downlink programming, as allocated by the ITU in 2001. The allocation became effective April 1.
GENEVA -- ITU gave a preliminary nod to the OASIS Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) and developed a module for systems to aid transmission over cramped networks, an official here said. OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) will consider the move before ITU forwards the decisions to administrations for final approval, an official said.
Public TV stations this month will begin rolling out digital emergency alert system (DEAS) gear, with 20 stations in eastern coastal states integrated into the DEAS network by the end of May, APTS said. By year-end all public TV stations will have equipment to receive and retransmit the signal, it said. The DHS provided a $4.5 million grant for DEAS gear; maintenance will cost $1 million annually, APTS said. The new system will use datacasting to send signals to FEMA wireless receivers at specific locations, APTS said. Unlike broadcast signals, they can be sent by local stations to targeted receivers in safety agencies, other broadcasters and similar settings. Signals also can be received and retransmitted over other digital networks including cellphones. The FCC is considering rules and technical standards for commercial mobile providers to carry DEAS provided by public TV stations. The new alert system initially will distribute only alerts from the President but eventually will expand to enable use by governors and local officials and reach thousands of sites, said APTS Pres. John Lawson.
The Mont. House Appropriations Committee killed a bill (HB-33) that would have assessed a monthly 25 E-911 fee on active wireless prepaid accounts. The panel indefinitely tabled the bill for study between legislative sessions. The committee indefinitely tabled for study a bill (HB-821) requiring creation of an automated statewide emergency alert system for first responders and their collaborating agencies. The panel killed the bill because of questions about whether the state’s computer network can instantly and reliably deliver emergency alert messages to many recipients at the same time.
The FCC approved HD Radio multicasting in a long-awaited order (CD March 22 p15) formalizing a policy that let hundreds of stations each broadcast multiple streams on an experimental basis. Under new rules approved Thurs. at the FCC meeting, a single HD Radio FM station can transmit multiple in-band on-channel (IBOC) streams. After years of delay, nighttime AM HD Radio is authorized.
The Dept. of Transportation hopes this year to run initial field tests of its Next Generation 911 project but needs a location, Laurie Flaherty, a leader of the program for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), said Tues. Key decisions on the program will be made the next few months, Flaherty told the National Emergency Number Assn.’s annual D.C. meeting.
The Tenn. Senate passed a “robo-call” telemarketing bill (SB-125) barring use of automatic dialing and announcing systems to call anyone on the state or national no-call list. The robo-call curb would include political bodies. Exemptions include use by employers to reach workers, use by schools to reach students and parents and use by safety agencies sending emergency alerts. The Tenn. House Utilities & Banking Subcommittee advanced another telemarketing bill (HB-390) that would prohibit telemarketers from concealing their identities from caller ID subscribers. Violators could be fined up to $2,000 per offending call.
The FCC ended probes of 3 TV stations for failing to use visual cues to make emergency programming accessible to hearing-impaired viewers, said Enforcement Bureau orders. KFMB-TV San Diego and Fla. stations WBBH-TV Ft. Myers and WZVN-TV Naples-Ft. Myers agreed to consent decrees under which they'll use live closed captioning in emergencies. The bureau fined WTBQ(AM) Warwick, NY., $9,600 for breaking emergency alert system and other rules.
The FCC last week noted $123,000 in new radio fines. Of that, Enforcement Bureau penalties totaling $51,000 were issued in connection with emergency alert systems, listener contests and other matters. The remainder involved fines by the Media Bureau against 15 stations for late filing of license renewals and other violations. The broadcasters’ licenses were renewed.