Leaders of the world’s biggest fixed satellite services (FSS) firms scratched their heads Tues., wondering aloud how the FSS industry is going to compete amid telecom convergence and mobility. Speaking at Satellite 2006, CEOs from Intelsat, PanAmSat, SES Global, New Skies, Eutelsat and Loral -- citing video to mobile phones, broadband in automobiles and other uses -- agreed FSS must compete in new mobile data and video markets. But none said they know exactly how they'll do it.
Public TV executives next week head to their Capitol Hill Day in record numbers, hoping 2006 won’t replay 2005, a year that saw their federal allocation faced a cut of nearly 50% and the Corp. for Public Bcstg. rocked by controversy over then Chmn. Kenneth Tomlinson’s efforts to infuse conservative “balance” into PBS shows. “It was by far the most tumultuous [year] in recent memory,” said Assn of Public TV Stations (APTS) Pres. John Lawson. The projected record attendance of more than 200 reflects the “high level” of station interest this year in public TV’s federal agenda, he added.
CEA said that as it scopes the future of EAS, including alerts offered on cellphones (CD Jan 26 p3), the FCC should keep in mind the major role that NOAA weather radio (NWR) can play. To date, NWR has proven to be the most reliable sources for alerts, CEA said. “Closer integration of EAS and NWR would… increase the speed with which the public is likely to hear the critical life saving emergency information,” the group said. “Many more people would hear critical life saving alerts in a timely manner with improved public awareness and better integration of the 2 systems.”
Overhaul the Emergency Alert System (EAS), the Society of Bcst. Engineers (SBE) told the FCC. “Simple modifications or band-aid approaches are no longer applicable,” the SBE said in Wed. comments on the EAS FNPRM. The FCC should “eliminate the broadcast daisy chain” by creating multipoint distribution links from “govt. warning originators” to National Weather Radio, broadcasters, cable, common carriers and others, SBE said (CD Jan26 p3). Broadcasters should “be eliminated” as an EAS origination source, the SBE said. The FCC should create EAS performance standards, with federal funding and training provided for a national system with a common alerting protocol, they said.
Wireless carriers cautioned the FCC against imposing a mandate that they be able to broadcast emergency alerts to subscribers, warning that the delivery of millions of alerts would choke networks, possibly during times of national emergency when subscribers need to place other calls. Carriers also advised the Commission that the costs for wireless carriers would be significant and shouldn’t be imposed without federal support.
Three Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) giants and XM Satellite Radio petitioned the FCC to reconsider parts of its Nov. Emergency Alert System (EAS) order. The order, which generally widened the emergency alert net, extended EAS requirements for the first time to cable, satellite TV and satellite radio, as well as other services(CD Nov 4 p4). Extending EAS to DTH video services also meant stretching them to the FSS operators from which DTH operators buy Ku-band satellite capacity. But last week, Intelsat, PanAmSat and SES Americom asked the FCC to leave FSS out of the requirements and to shift the burden of EAS rules directly to DTH-FSS program distributors. Should FSS operators still be required to enforce EAS rules on DTH clients, however, the FSS operators asked that contracts already signed shouldn’t be included. The FSS operators said they can’t require program distributors to comply with EAS under their current contracts, and asked the Commission to “expressly provide that the rules do not apply to FSS space segment sold to third parties prior to the effective date of the new rules.” Lastly, the FSS operators asked the FCC to exempt foreign DTH/FSS from EAS regulations. DTH programming directed outside the U.S., but which is also available in the U.S., shouldn’t be burdened with EAS, they said, arguing it “highly improbable” that foreign distributors would preempt programming for announcements from the President of the U.S. In its comments to the FCC, XM simply asked that it not be required to test EAS alerts on all of its channels on a weekly and monthly basis. “The EAS testing regime for satellite radio operators as adopted is unduly burdensome, confusing to subscribers, and fails to meet the intent of the testing requirement given the unique attributes of satellite radio systems,” XM said. The firm proposed an alternative testing regime which would have EAS tests broadcast simultaneously on every XM channel only once-yearly. Weekly and monthly tests of EAS would occur on XM’s traffic and weather channels instead, they suggested.
The FCC in a report to Congress released late Wed. agreed with the Spectrum Coalition for Public Safety, representing law enforcement groups across the U.S., that the 24 MHz of 700 MHz spectrum set to go to public safety after the DTV transition should be adjusted to allow more ambitious broadband uses. But the Commission refused to support demands that public safety get an additional 6 MHz of spectrum.
Public TV will test a DTV datacast to deliver video to mobile devices as part of a hybrid WiMAX/WiFi network, a move officials see as promising to boost station revenue. Wis. Public Bcstg. soon will test DTV fed into WiFi and other wireless networks in Madison in collaboration with the U. of Wis. and several vendors, APTS Pres. John Lawson told us. The move dovetails with APTS-led digital emergency alert system (EAS) trials funded by the Homeland Security Dept. (DHS), Lawson said.
The FCC didn’t mandate state and local Emergency Alert System (EAS) compliance when it amended its EAS rules late last week. But the FCC strongly encouraged compliance by all EAS participants -- even non-local satellite radio - many times over in the order. The EAS may be designed to deliver emergency presidential messages on a national scale, but most emergencies occur at the state and local levels, the order noted in several places. The FNPRM asks what should be done to mend the disconnect.
The wireless industry wants a voluntary approach to the creation of an effective, ubiquitous public alert system, said industry sources. Industry wants to improve the emergency alert system (EAS) but hopes the govt. sees the wireless platform’s benefits and limitations, sources said.