[EAS] BLU Alert Comments.

[Tim Stoffel]

Still, at the end of the day, there is not anything special enough about a Blu alert to make it sufficiently different enough from other existing warning types to justify its use for the public warning systems EAS and WEA. If the event is serious enough to warrant using either of these systems, then use an event code/scenario that matches something the public has already experienced. The use of vanity alerts (I like that term!) only weakens EAS and WEA.

Tim Stoffel

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-----Original Message-----
From: EAS [mailto:eas-bounces at radiolists.net] On Behalf Of Ed Czarnecki

I tend to agree with this.  Higher thresholds can and should be established within the state Blue Alert plan.  However, we already have two major jurisdictions (NYC and Boulder CO) stating that they are already willing to disregard even the basic thresholds in the Blue Alert legislation and the FCC NPRM.

Does this mean that some national authority establish stricter threshold guidelines for use in Blue Alert plans?  FCC could, but their rules would be only apply to EAS participants, not the originators.  FEMA? probably not (this isn't their wheelhouse).  DOJ? Nope, I don't see them putting any restrictions on this.

There's always the position stated by the State of Washington, in their EAS and Blue Alert plan (as summarized by Clay in his RadioWorld interview) - blue alerts simply do not go out over EAS.
http://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/0002/freinwald-blue-alerts-offer
-no-tangible-improvements/340122

Again, if we are really talking about two alerts a year, this may be a tempest in a teapot.  But this could be a bit more expensive and time consuming than the FCC posits in its NPRM.  Per our comments, the FCC should simple re-designate and reserve LEW for the purposes of Blue Alerts.  

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