[EAS] Analysis of IPAWS EAS Test Webinar

[suzanne at mab.org]

Hi Don,
 
You're welcome!  And I do.  (take your comments constructively, that is)
 
Your #2 is actually two separate issues. (1)  As Adrienne, Ed C. and perhaps others have pointed out, the federal budgeting/appropriations process is such a mess that I really couldn't tell you the current status of IPAWS' funding, except that it is likely being funded under a continuing resolution at the moment.  (2) The Collins bill is an authorizing bill.  It authorizes in law a program that, as of now, exists only as a creation of a Presidential order.  If the program is going to be authorized in law, the money to support it also has to be authorized in law.  The bill authorizes $13+M for each of the next 5 fiscal years, which is IPAWS' current level of (unauthorized, i.e. not set in law) funding.
 
As for #4, put on your thinking cap and figure out (1) how much money is needed, (2)  what it would be used for, specifically, and (3)  where the money will come from.  If we can get the Collins bill passed and signed into law, it would be good fodder for a discussion by the advisory committee and some Congressional action down the road.  If nothing else, the national test has certainly raised the level of awareness about EAS and our alerting system on Capitol Hill.
 
Thanks -Suzanne

-----Original Message-----
From: "Don Heppelmann" <DHeppelmann at tpt.org>

Suzanne,

I always forget to say THANK YOU to you and others who make an effort to make these legal details possible. I hope you take these comment constructively.

1. Getting people/organizations together is good thing.
2. So if I understand it correctly, "technically" FEMA IPAWS is NOT funded. The money in this proposed bill is only for the current year? What about the future? Is it conceivable that FEMA IPAWS can go away due to lack of funding? Please help this confused citizen and EAS champion.
3. EAS training for EM with some incentive is a good thing.
4. Ever since I have been involved with EBS and EAS, all I ever hear from local, regional, state, and federal government and folks who work with them is that there is no NEW money. I'm so tired of hearing that. THERE IS MONEY, but only if there is political will to fund it. Frustrated - you bet I am. If EAS is as important as we champions say it is, then a new appropriation should be proposed every year and there after till finally budgeted. It may not happen this year, or perhaps not next, but don't stop asking till it's properly funded. Make it a taking point similar to "supporting the troops" or in this case "Supporting all Americans".

THANK YOU,

Don Heppelmann
MN SECC

-----Original Message-----
From: eas-bounces at radiolists.net [mailto:eas-bounces at radiolists.net] On Behalf Of suzanne at mab.org

Three points:

1. At present, there is no mechanism to get all the involved parties - FEMA, FCC, NOAA/NWS, White House, NEMA, IAEM, broadcasters, cable, celphone, satcasters, etc. etc. - in a room together to identify and address issues. And because of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, it's impossible to do that except via an outside agency (such as the NASBA-NAB EAS Summits of recent years) or to do it on a regular, ongoing basis. This bill would address that gap.

2. The dollar amount included in the bill is current-year funding for the IPAWS program. Since this is an "authorizing" bill (remember that IPAWS was created by the Bush 2 Executive Order but has never been authorized in statute), the bill also authorizes the use of the money for IPAWS. It's a technicality.

3. FEMA has been working since early summer on the IPAWS-EAS training program (using existing funding). It is my understanding that it will be rolled out fairly near-term. It will be an online training, thus requiring no travel etc. It will be necessary for state/local EMs to take the training in order to be certified to send messages through the IPAWS aggregator. The Collins bill instructs FEMA to build it into the training for the National Incident Management System to ensure that it becomes part and parcel of the NIMS training that all the EMs take.

And a final point: "new appropriation" is a total non-starter in the current Congress. That's where we began with this initiative - trying to get funding to build out a nationwide CAP-enabled system, end to end - but if you've been reading the headlines, you know there's no new money for anything. I share the frustration, but it's a political reality. Politics is the art of the possible. I'd rather focus my energy on what I know can get done.

Thanks,
--Suzanne Goucher

-----Original Message-----
From: "Don Heppelmann" <DHeppelmann at tpt.org>

Well at first I was thinking this bill is wonderful, and started to draft a support note to the Senator, but after a few minutes I got to thinking .... another bill being submitted to Congress to fund yet a new advisory board! As much as this seems like a good idea, it also seems to me the issues are well documented already. Does it really take X million dollars to fund more meetings? It would be interesting to see the project budget to know what is allocated for what, especially the training portion.

What about a new appropriation for non-internet EAS CAP protocol national distribution and local/regional wireless IP infrastructure?

Don Heppelmann
MN SECC

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