[EAS] Answering the right question - EAS Handbook

[Ray Dall]

While I am one who ordinarily is against anything Big Government, and am against doing things on a Federal Level when they can just as easily be handled on a local level - I must say that on SOME level - I agree!

I handle EAS equipment for my company.  Hundreds of EAS boxes in all 50 states. Some states idea of an EAS plan is something that was scribbled on a napkin 10 years ago.  Others have excellent plans, very detailed, and as stated, some don't take cities bordering multiple states into account.

Part of the bigger problem is that when I, in Dallas Texas, need to get frequency monitoring info for a station in, say Arizona - I need a password to access their website...or in other states - I just have to have the right telephone contact to the guy who recently took over the frequency coordinator's job when "Fred" passed away 2 months ago without giving me prior notice of doing so.

If indeed we are going to have NATIONAL tests for NATIONAL emergencies - there should be some NATIONAL coordination, where everyone is on the same sheet of music.

Best case scenario, the FCC should say "Here is a TEMPLATE for your State plan", and every state should then follow the template.  In that manner, local frequency coordinators, etc, can have input.  Let's face it - the guys in Washington clearly have no clue about the terrain in Little Rock, and don't seem to understand that you simply can't put two TV stations on the same frequency in Kansas City Kansas, and Kansas City Missouri.  Radio waves do cross state lines.

Certainly for statewide emergencies - we want a "bordering" town to cover their own state... but if Kansas City is getting nuked (the original intent of CONELRAD/EBS - and North Korea is getting stupid), wouldn't it be nice if the message came down from both states, in case one state got knocked out first?

At the same time, I don't see the sense in internet based communication to the extent that if a city manager does a weekly test in Opelika Alabama, that it is possible to set of an EAS box in Las Vegas, Nevada. Proper setup of FIPS codes and EAS code screening can eliminate some of that.... but at present the traffic is still passed and sometimes decoded, even if it isn't forwarded. 

I agree that some national coordination needs to happen.  Whether complete control needs to be given to the Fed, is another story.
>What's the right question?
>The FCC needs to publish a national EAS plan.
>The national EAS plan needs to provide guidance....