[EAS] Max Length of EAS Messages

[Adrienne Abbott]

Kinda makes you wonder just what it will take to initiate a CMAS
activation...It sounds like the cell phone companies have distanced
themselves from local CAP EAS activations. Would cell phone carriers act on
an evacuation order for a large wildland fire like those Texas experienced
last summer or Nevada has had this winter? What about another Hurricane
Katrina? Would the message go to all carriers in the CMAS program or would
Verizon carry the message while AT&T declined to activate? How do we work
with the carriers on developing plans and criteria when there are no local
contacts? 
Adrienne

Adrienne Abbott
Nevada EAS Chair
"Radio burps, it cries, it needs to be fed all the time, it requires
constant attention, but we love it." Jim Aaron WGLN 

-----Original Message-----
From: On Behalf Of Ed Czarnecki

Clay and Jim - Reposting this with some edits.

The CMAS message may well be a separate message from the EAS one, but it is
derived from the same original CAP from the state or local originator.  

So, while CAP will be delivered to TV/Radio/Cable EAS Participants, the
mobile carriers will get a separately formatted CMAS protocol message.  CAP
is not delivered to the mobile carrier gateway, nor to the mobile device.
Also, not all "EAS" alerts would meet the threshold of getting "CMAS status"
(only presidential and "imminent threat to life & property").

One way to look at is that the CMAS alert is intended to get people
attention of a person with a very basic alert.  The person would then be
implicitly expected to seek out other media for confirmation of the alert
and more information.

The CMAS formatted alert would be constrained - within 90 characters - to
the following content:
- event type or category
- area affected
- response description (i.e. "shelter" or "evacuate")
- Expiration time (as e.g. "until 11:30 PM EDT)
- Sending agency

Here is a link to an image on the Aware Forum capturing a CMAS test message
from NYC on 2/16/12:
http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Uploads/145/Graph/Alertmsg.jpg