[EAS] Should digital audio files be prohibited in CAP?

[Skinner, Jim]

Sean:

You make a good point.  Plan the whole system including upgrade
capabilities.  As I understand it IPAWS and NWS CAP are designed
basically for text only in high volume situations.  No doubt people
writing comments thought the FCC knew such details.  Perhaps in years to
come all CAP servers will be able to handle pictures and other media
during high volume use.  

Clay and Bill also make good points on the advantages of TTS over live
voice from emergency personnel.  NWS has done a fine job with helping us
accept TTS as usable for aural information dissemination.   

Comments to FCC need to include both "fix the problem now" and allow for
upgrades as things progress.  Hopefully they are listening and get both
messages. 

The option of a CAP message pointing to a URL should NOT be adopted as a
compromise.  That is likely to fail during times of emergency, although
it might work during tests.  Refining TTS is a much better solution I
believe.    

  -- 
Jim Skinner CPBE CBNT
Neb SECC Chair

-----Original Message-----
From: Sean Donelan

On Sat, 10 Mar 2012, Bill Ruck wrote:
> That is, in my warped view, the beauty of CAP.  It is a simple 
> standard text based protocol that can be quickly transmitted over 
> almost any system.  And quickly and automatically converted to any 
> delivery system.

Is the intent to use CAP to distribute anything besides text?

There was almost no comments in the record supporting text-to-speech,
and the result was the rules didn't support it.  It seems like several
groups are submitting comments supporting text to speech, but don't
mention any other types of content.  Will the lack of support in the
record for other types of content have the same result?

Does anyone plan to distribute a picture of the missing child in AMBER
alerts, or use CAP to distribute video what a dangerous item may look
like. If the only comments being submitted are about sending text
messages through CAP, why should CAP systems be expected to support
anything besides text?

Don't assume the FCC are mind readers or will be able to guess what you
mean.  No comments in the record is as relevant as overwhelming comments
in the record.