[sbe-eas] National RMT relay instead of EAN testing

[Sean Donelan]

On Fri, 25 Nov 2011, Jerry Mathis wrote:

> If this is really a problem, then let's recommend this and push it through.

> It'll also be a good lesson in just how much red tape the Government really

> generates.

> 

> Isn't there a Murphy's Law that says something along the lines of, The

> simpler the task, the more bureaucracy is required to implement it.


The National Weather Service already did.  Any consumer weather radio with 
a "Public Alert" label (CEA-2009) can handle the national location code 
"000000" and some other location corner cases.  CAP-EAS also includes the 
national location code "000000", with a note that not all EAS hardware
may be able to process it.

However, each time the FCC asked for public comments on the proposed
changes for EAS Part 11 rules, some commentators objected to any
change that could require upgrading legacy EAS hardware (i.e. cost, 
accidental use, etc). So based on those public comments, new event codes, 
new FIPS codes, new anything are not required for anyone using old EAS 
hardware.  Anyone attempting an EAS alert with anything "new" will have
potential issues with some participants with old EAS hardware.

Now would be a great time to update how things work with the transition to
CAP.  But trying to maintain backward compatability through CAP-EAS 
Converters to old EAS hardware also maintains the same problems.