/ 10.25.2010 12:00AM
EAS-CAP Shot-Clock Extension Sought
WASHINGTON: The National Association
of Broadcasters along with several other organizations, have asked the
FCC for an extension of the so-called CAP “shot-clock.” The clock is
ticking down to a 180-day deadline when broadcasters have to implement Common
Alerting Protocol formats. The buzzer currently is set to ring March 29, 2011.
On the end date, all EAS participants must have acquired, installed and tested
the necessary CAP-compliant equipment. The Society of Broadcast Engineers,
National Public Radio, Public Broadcasting Service, the Association for Maximum
Service Television and the Society of Broadcast Engineers are among numerous
other petitioners.
The groups have asked for at least an extra six months to comply, bringing the
new deadline to Sept. 30. They asked the commission also to consider a longer
extension until the agency has completed its CAP-related equipment
certification process, and has resolved its anticipated proceeding on
modifications to the rules necessary to reflect CAP.
The groups wrote to the FCC: “The commission’s own record in its EAS
proceedings well illustrates the difficulties posed by potentially requiring as
many as 25,000 to 30,000 EAS participants to acquire from a limited number of
suppliers new, sophisticated equipment that is subject to governmental
certification. Furthermore, a substantial amount of regulatory uncertainty
remains that prevents EAS participants from making the necessary, informed
decisions regarding what equipment to acquire and install.”
Resolution of that uncertainty is within the control of Federal Emergency Management
Administration and the commission, they added.-- from
Radio World