[EAS] The 2017 EAS Handbook for LP-1's

[Clay Freinwald]

Thanks for the kind words, Sean - 

It is true that the FCC has no regulatory authority over government agencies
- 
By the same token - The Commission relies on SECC's doing a lot with EAS for
which there is a lack of guidelines and structure.

Every stop and think what would happen if a State elected to not participate
with EAS?    A lot of what's going on in the real world is not based on
rules but rather on tradition by those that volunteer to get the job done
-without - a regulatory framework.

We here in Washington State have, since the start of EAS, followed a number
of different paths.   Our goal is to make the system function better ...Even
if this means deviation from what others are doing.

Clay

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

On Sat, 29 Jul 2017, Clay Freinwald wrote:
> I agree completely -
>
> EAS messages typically come from government entities (Federal, State,
> Regional or Local) and not from broadcast stations.    To goal in testing
> any system is to test it - From the Source, therefore, all test messages
> should come from the actual source that initiate 'real' warnings.     In
> this way the whole system is tested, not just a portion of it..     The
role
> of broadcast stations should be limited to reaching the public with 
> the warning information and this should be done automatically without 
> any human intervention required.

The only problem from the FCC perspective, the FCC doesn't regulate state
and local government agencies.  The FCC can't require government agencies
participate in EAS or originate tests.

For Presidential messages, which is the FCC's task, the testing needs to
verify operation from the PEP or National Primary source in a state through
the EAS daisy-chain to all EAS Participants.

I agree the State of Washington's plan is a better way of doing things. 
But every state is different. So the FCC has to make the national plan work,
even in uncooperative states; which means the testing burden falls on
regulated licensees.

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