The FCC’s rescission of a ban on text-to-speech emergency alert system warnings using Common Alerting Protocol became effective Monday, the agency said in a notice in that day’s Federal Register (http://xrl.us/bm6i3d). The short-lived ban, reversed last month, had applied to multichannel video programming distributors and broadcasters (CD April 20 p2).
The FCC fined four radio stations $42,000 total, in Enforcement Bureau forfeiture orders released Thursday. R.J.’s Late Night Entertainment Corp. was fined $22,000 because non-commercial educational station WHPR(FM) Highland Park, Mich., didn’t have operational emergency alert system equipment, the transmitter was moved without permission and the public inspection file wasn’t accessible (http://xrl.us/bm55fw). Each fined $10,000 were Taylor Broadcasting for not having sufficient staff at WJTB(AM) Elyria, Ohio (http://xrl.us/bm55f2), and KM Radio because KQMG(AM/FM) Independence, Iowa, had violations similar to WHPR (http://xrl.us/bm55gc).
The National Weather Service will start pushing out emergency alerts to cellphones “sometime in late May,” using the new Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS), NWS Lead for Emerging Dissemination Technologies Michael Gerber said. Gerber said some questions remain as carriers begin to transmit the alerts, a step required by the Warning, Alert, and Response Network (WARN) Act, which was enacted in 2006. He spoke on a Federal Emergency Management Agency webcast Wednesday on FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.
Small cable systems that don’t have broadband access at their headend facilities should get a pass on emergency alert system (EAS) rule compliance, the American Cable Association said. The ACA asked the commission to set up a streamlined waiver process for such cable operators, in a petition for reconsideration (http://xrl.us/bm4vem). The group, which has small cable operators among its members, had asked that such small and remote systems be exempt from a recent FCC EAS order. The FCC didn’t grant a broad exemption but said it would review waivers on a case-by-case basis (CD Jan 12 p8). A streamlined waiver process for such cable systems with fewer than 501 subscribers could save them money and time preparing individual waivers, ACA said. “The cost to seek a waiver might exceed the construction costs from which these small system operators seek relief, and expecting operators of these small systems to renew their waivers every six month further adds to the overall cost."
Paging provider American Messaging asked the FCC for a waiver until June 30 the deadline to start a service providing emergency alerts to subscribers using the Commercial Mobile Alert System. The service was supposed to lbegin April 7. “Many carriers that initially opted to participate in CMAS were unable to launch on April 7, 2012 as the Commission intended,” American Messaging said in a petition (http://xrl.us/bm4uff). “American Messaging remains committed to the CMAS program ... and intends to begin delivering alerts to its customers as soon as possible."
The FCC rescinded a ban on text-to-speech emergency alert system warnings four days before new EAS rules take effect (CD March 23 p4). A new format of emergency alert system messages that all pay-TV providers and broadcasters must implement by June 30 couldn’t have included text-to-speech warnings, under a January order on equipment certification for the Common Alerting Protocol format. An order approved by commissioners Thursday -- nine days after circulating for a vote (http://xrl.us/bmxdnu) -- reversed that ban and left consideration of part of the issue for another day.
The conclusion of the mobile emergency alert system broadcast pilot project “sets the stage for the standardization by the Advanced Television Systems Committee and evaluation” by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said PBS, the Mobile 500 Alliance, LG and other supporters of the project. The project was run by PBS, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and LG (CD June 6 p11). In addition to public broadcasters, M-EAS is receiving widespread interest from commercial broadcasters, garnering support from the NAB Labs, the Mobile Content Venture and the Open Mobile Video Coalition, the supporters said. They said the project demonstrates the system’s capabilities for delivering multimedia alerts to mobile DTV-equipped cellphones, laptops, and other devices “to avoid the potential roadblocks of chronic congestion of cellular systems during emergencies.” LG demonstrated its prototype mobile phone this week at the NAB show, the company said.
Cincinnati Bell Wireless, Cricket, Flat Wireless, which operates under the Clear Talk brand, and nTelos sought an extension of Saturday’s deadline, until May 15, for the carriers to put in place the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) for transmitting emergency alerts to subscribers. Each is working with TeleCommunication Systems, but has encountered a similar problem, they said in a filing at the FCC (http://xrl.us/bm2xxo). “The Carriers all have been working with TCS for a considerable period to meet the ... implementation date, and substantial progress has been made,” they said. “Connectivity between TCS and each of the Carriers has been established and tested. The Carriers either have CMAS-capable handsets available and in service with certain end users or on order for near term delivery.” The only problem has been working out a link between the Federal Alert Aggregator/Gateway and TCS, they said. “The standard Interconnection Security Agreement proposed by FEMA for CMAS implementation was crafted for direct connections by a participating carrier with the Gateway and not for a third party service provider such as TCS,” the filing said. “As a consequence, implementation was delayed at a critical time in the schedule.” The carriers said they're advised that the earliest date by which this problem could be resolved is April 19.
An FCC advisory panel is the latest entity to back text-to-speech emergency alert system warnings (CD March 14 p8). All levels of government can trigger EAS in a format that starts June 30 without sending audio files that take bandwidth and time for broadcasters and pay-TV operators to download, the Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council said. It voted unanimously Thursday to recommend the commission rework an order on the new Common Alerting Protocol format to OK text to speech.
Paging company USA Mobility decided not to participate in the federal Commercial Mobile Alert System, the company said in a filing at the FCC (http://xrl.us/bmysb4). The voluntary program allows carriers to transmit emergency messages to subscribers. Carriers that don’t take part have to notify their customers.