[EAS] FCC Seeks Comment on Multilingual EAS

[Weiner, Kevin (CCI-Virginia)]

>>> Next thing you know, we will be running EAS alerts in Klingon, Sindarin, Na'vi and Dothraki!

LMAO! But, you know, somewhere someone is going that is a great idea!

Back to the real thread. Are there any long range plans to go all-digital with IPAWS/CAP/EAS? Much like the DTV transition has changed TV, why not do an all D-EAS transition? Dream with me... with D-EAS adding another PID (or two, or three, or 65,535) to a stream is not that big of a deal. A D-EAS decoder could be user-selectable to whatever language the user wants. The EOC's could use something like, for example Google Translate and get many written and spoken language. With some automation, and with today's tech, it is not a reach to envision something workable like this. Granted, the lack of greenish pictures of dead presidents is an issue, but that did not stop DTV. An all-digital EAS may save money and lives in the long run.

I know this is not a very well thought out vaporware idea, but all ideas start like this. Please, when you through darts, and punch holes in this idea, please aim high :)

Kevin