[EAS] It's not rocket science...

[Sean Donelan]

On Fri, 22 Jul 2016, Clay Freinwald wrote:
> TO THE FCC - A State EAS Plan provides information as to how presidential
> messages (EAN's, NPT's etc) are distributed as well as details as to how the
> systems involved are tested (RMT's, RWT's etc).   The Commission assumes
> that States will wish to create an SECC but has no mechanism to force states
> to do so.  The provide no guidance as to the composition and structure of
> the SECC's yet ask that these Committee's create State Plans and handling
> Monitoring Assignments.

Well, remember, the State Emergency Communications Committee is actually 
an industry function; not a state government function.  In some states, 
the state emergency management agency has adopted the SECC function and 
sometimes funds its executive secretariat duties.  But that's actually 
rare.  Its more common for the SECC to be associated with the state 
broadcaster assocation.  In some states, the state EAS plan is behind a 
membership paywall on the state broadcast association website ("for 
security").  In those states, non-members have to make a special request 
to get a copy of the state EAS plan.

The National Association of Broadcasters and some state broadcast 
associations were the biggest opponents to LPFM stations.  So I 
suppose its not a surprise that LPFM owners don't have much of a 
relationship with state broadcast associations or SECCs associated with
state broadcast associations.