In a meeting with the FCC this week, a group of TV and radio executives, along with representatives from the National Association of Broadcasters, asked commission officials to allow broadcasters to voluntarily use software-based systems for emergency alerting, noting that a software-based approach offers more flexibility than traditional methods and warning the commission that access to vendors offering new EAS technology has dwindled.
The group included Steve Shultis of New York Public Radio (NYPR), Roswell Clark of Cox Media Group, Dan Mettler and Sara Morris of iHeart Media, Rob Bertand of Inrush Broadcast Services, William Harrison of WETA (FM), Mike DePolo of Urban One, Inc., and Larry Walke Associate General Counsel Legal and Regulatory Affairs with the NAB.
In their meeting with Keelin Ferris in Chairman Carr’s office, the group discussed the commission’s current Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that was approved in June. They focused on the FCC’s proposal to allow the use of software-based encoder/decoder technology instead of a legacy physical hardware device to process Emergency Alert System messages.
They noted that EAS is one of the last remaining elements of a modern broadcast air chain that requires a physical hardware device, and described how a software-based model would allow broadcasters to optimize integration of EAS into their system. The group highlighted broad support for a software option from TV and radio broadcasters, the cable industry, an EAS vendor, accessibility groups, and other stakeholders.
They emphasized that adopting this approach would be voluntary, and expected that many EAS Participants will continue using their existing EAS equipment for the foreseeable future, "perhaps until their device malfunctions or some technical or policy development makes it worthwhile to explore a software option," they said.
The group said a software EAS model would allow broadcasters to implement system repairs and updates through software patches instead of requiring an engineer to manually modify every device or ship a device to a manufacturer. A software model would improve EAS readiness by allowing the immediate failover to a redundant, geographically diverse EAS system if a disaster disrupts EAS at a station’s studio or transmitter, they added.
Cybersecurity would not be a concern within a software-based EAS model beyond those already relevant to existing EAS equipment. They also told officials that the marketplace for new EAS equipment has shrunk to only one major vendor and that the EAS provider for the vast majority of radio stations is no longer making hardware devices, further increasing the urgency for a reliable software option.
The group also told officials that a new software-specific certification requirement was not needed but that they would support a process similar to that used for existing equipment, including rigorous FEMA IPAWS conformity testing and extensive supporting documentation.
They also expressed concern about the FCC’s proposed timeline for implementation of new rules, adding that a 12 month grace period would cause an unnecessary delay.
“If a software product has been sufficiently tested and certified, there is no compelling reason to make EAS Participants wait to leverage the advantages of a software EAS approach,” Walke said. “In fact, at least one leading EAS provider has already partnered with a large provider of audio systems and services to broadcasters to demonstrate the functionality of a prototype software EAS model. Given this progress, the group does not believe that a 12-month (or longer) delay is needed before allowing entities to submit authorization applications.”
