[EAS] Where attention needs to be

[Tom Taggart]

1. An NAL would be counter-productive, especially if the
station is a primary relay.  There is no requirement for
stations to serve this function under FCC regulations,
harass them and ownership may just tell the state plan folks
to find another sucker for their plan. 

With that being said, expect the Commission's enforcement
bureau to begin salivating at the prospect of more fines
after the "Zombie" incident. 

2. I was just reviewing a 200 page bill introduced into the
Ohio house to impose sales taxes on radio station
advertising sales.  This could amount to as much as 6 1/2%
tax on advertising sales, depending on the county where the
station is located. With all the competing advertising media
(including out-of-state internet companies who probably will
escape this tax), stations can't just pass this tax on to
the advertisers. 

So...hire an IT guy for couple hundred to bulletproof a
small station's system? Not gonna happen.

3. As I've mentioned back in the related threads, one of the
advantages of the Sage system (and I think Dasdec as well)
is that you can put a browser link or even an icon on a
computer in each studio or operating position so that an
operator can run an RWT, or abort delayed alerts in "message
flooding" situations.  So...20 digit passwords? How is that
going to work?

--Tape them to monitors so the operator can type in
KF8KYPs.129:145Qg2H7DyGThY9H
--every time they need to use the system? Of course, making
it easy for someone with a good smart-phone camera to just
snap a (flat) screen shot.

Or have the browser store the password, thereby allowing
access to those who can get into the network externally.