[sbe-eas] There's an App for that...

[Sean Donelan]

On Sun, 12 Feb 2012, Adrienne  Abbott wrote:

> The point is Frank, cell phones and smart phones and smart people don’t need

> EAS receivers. CAP will decode everything and send it out on multiple

> streams, enhancing the credibility of the alert. Broadcasters and newsroom

> need EAS receivers so they can be one of the ways to get that information

> out. And broadcasters and newsrooms, whether on line or over the air, need

> to be ready to respond with the details once an activation is issued. And

> broadcasters will still be the backup source for warnings when the emergency

> takes out the infrastructure. Even then, cell phones and text messaging will

> still be available for most people.


Maybe its a tribute to the power of the "EAS" brand that even broadcasters 
think EAS is the only way for people to learn emergency information.  Do 
we need yet another brand for the overall emergency information system?

As pointed out, broadcast channels don't work well as a way to reach 
people who aren't listening or viewing broadcast channels at 3am.  EAS
receivers don't work well because the public (and consumer electronic 
liability lawyers) can't predict which broadcast channel will carry local
alerts. Instead of trying to make broadcast channels into something they 
aren't suited for, figure out the roles for all the different communication 
channels and how they can complement each other.

CAP is supposed to be technology and communication channel independent.

For example, the future generation Google TV may have CAP warnings 
built-in, and not depend on a local broadcast channel.  Telephones ring 
still ring at 3am.  Cell phones get messages and buzz. Community warning 
sirens sound.  Yes, individually each communication channel has its own
weaknesses.  But that is why diversity is important.

Not every device needs to transmit or understand CAP.  Community warning 
sirens won't modulate a digital signal containing a CAP message.

Do broadcast channels still need inter-station signalling (SAME or
something else) to distribute emergency information between them as a 
backup when normal programming sources and channels are disrupted?
Digital signals can carry additional information associated with
the main programming channels, so the cueing details don't have to
interrupt the main program.