[EAS] New EAS handbook

[Harold Price]

Dave,

No one should worry that the handbook is making any actual change - 8 seconds is the expected length of the attention signal.

Back in 2012, in the Fifth Report and Order, the FCC intended to limit the length of the attention tone to eight seconds, saying, in para 246:

"Decision. We are persuaded by commenters that the Attention Signal continues to serve a useful purpose in the EAS framework as an audio notification to the general public that an alert is about to be aired, and we therefore will retain the Attention Signal in the Part 11 rules. We are also persuaded that the duration of the Attention Signal should be limited to no more than eight seconds."

In the R&O, the commission removed some portions of Part 11 regarding the attention signal, but left the "8 to 25 seconds" mention in 11.31(c).

I'll note that 11.32(a)(9)(iv) (EAS Encoder) says "The encoder shall have timing circuitry that automatically generates the two tones simultaneously for a time period of 8 seconds."

As noted by the FCC in the 5th R&O para 240, "The majority of commenters addressing these issues opposed elimination of the Attention
Signal but supported limiting its duration to eight seconds."

Eight seconds, which has always been the minimum, had been the common practice since the first days of EAS, and is currently in the encoder rules.

Harold

At 01:09 PM 7/25/2017, Dave Turnmire wrote:
>It is interesting to note that the new handbook still refers to the EAS Attention Signal as lasting 8 to 25 seconds.  They must be reading a different version of Part 11 than I am...

>Otherwise, this edition of the handbook seems like a good improvement.

>Dave