[EAS] Test-To-Speech must be allowed - NOW!

[Ed Czarnecki]

The FCC has specifically noted that it is holding text to speech in abeyance
until a future FCC proceeding on the text-to-speech issue is conducted.  It
remains to be seen whether or not the FCC can reverse its position in the
5th R&O, until such time as a future proceeding is conducted.  Again, they
could continue to prohibit TTS use until a future proceeding, or somehow
allow it until that proceeding is conducted.   I'm not optimistic about the
latter, just based on the administrative requirements and where the Order
sits right now (i.e timing).  But we'll see what happens. 

 

For what its worth, the manufacturing community had cautioned about this
scenario back in 2010 when we issued the ECIG Implementation Guidelines back
in mid 2010.  Specifically, if an audio file was absent (or corrupted), and
if text to speech was not present on a device, the audio message would only
consist of the header tones, followed by EOM tones.  No aural portion, of
course.  And no attention signal, since there is no aural portion.

 

Tom T and all:  While a state or county agency may not come under the
jurisdiction of the FCC, broadcasters and cable operators do (47 CFR 11) as
well as the manufacturer community (47 CFR 2 and 47 CFR 11).  A state agency
may elect to send CAP intending to trigger text to voice, but an EAS
Participant who uses it (after the rules come into effect) runs the risk of
technically violating Part 11.  Also, a manufacturer who does not provide at
least an option of deselecting/disabling text-to-speech would seem to also
run the risk of violating the rules (not something over which to risk a
product's FCC Certification, I would think).

 

Sean D:  No agency that I know of has systematically collected or compared
samples of TTS from CAP EAS devices.  Personally, I would have thought it a
better course of action to first conduct a proceeding on TTS, and then
prohibit or allow it on the basis of actual performance.  If you'd like to
hear two of the voices on the DASDEC, you can access them at
http://www.digitalalertsystems.com/faq/faq_27.html.

 

Ed

 

Edward Czarnecki, Ph.D.

Senior Director - Strategy, Development & Regulatory Affairs

Monroe Electronics, Inc. / Digital Alert Systems

ed.czarnecki at monroe-electronics.com

www.monroe-electronics.com

www.digitalalertsystems. com

 

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: eas-bounces at radiolists.net [mailto:eas-bounces at radiolists.net] On
Behalf Of Tom Taggart

 

Darryl:

 

That's my point about Washington State being 3000 miles from Washington,
D.C.--they are more inclined to do what they want to do and not worry about
the nonsense coming out of Washington. 

 

Besides--FCC doesn't regulate the state--they are going to cite a station
because they actually used the text-to-speech capabilities built into the
unit to run a warning?

 

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