[EAS] FCC BLU Alert Proposal

[Adrienne Abbott]

The problem is not that the FCC didn't provide definitions for the Event
Codes in Part 11. The problem is that the people who need to know the finer
points of LEW vs. LAE aren't getting that information. We can sit at our
computers and discuss the meanings of various Event Codes until we split
hairs but few of us will ever issue an EAS activation. 

The last thing we need in an emergency is an official getting bogged down in
the list of Event Codes and wasting time trying to pick the right one.
Adding new alerts with associated colours is just another layer of
confusion, especially if those colours come with a heavy load of political
baggage. At least with the CAP message, the details of the emergency
included in the audio message are available for broadcasters. The last time
I checked there were no "EAS Police" roaming the broadcast bands looking for
emergency officials who chose unwisely and sent the "wrong" Event Code.  

The real problem is another one that's been heavily discussed here, the lack
of EAS training provided to our state and local emergency managers. We've
made some progress with the development of CAP and the requirement for
agencies to take a FEMA EAS class as part of the credentialing process but
that's one class and it really doesn't go into the finer points of EAS. And
most of the people who take the FEMA class are not the front-line staffers
who actually compose the activation and click the buttons. I am not at all
confident that the FCC is going to join with FEMA and NWS in providing
improved guidance for emergency officials. Until that happens, EAS training
is still going to be up to the SECC's.  

Remember, Event Codes weren't that complicated back in the 90's when EAS was
implemented. The emergency management community was also less complicated.
I'm not saying it's better or worse now, but it's an entirely different
situation today than it was twenty years ago. Today's Emergency Managers are
better trained and prepared than they were back then. And they have an
entire arsenal of options when it comes to public warning. EAS, with both
CAP and Legacy platforms, isn't the only show. My local Emergency Manager
has WEA and a county-based telephone subscription service which includes
cell phones as well as landlines, and he has a Facebook page and Twitter
account all at his fingertips and Smartphone. Once he sends a message on any
of those platforms--and he usually chooses several methods--it is picked up
by local media, mostly TV stations, which then push out notifications on
their own platforms. Is this more effective than EAS? From what I'm seeing,
I would have to say in most cases, "Yes". There's less confusion and more
information. IMO, emergency managers are finding it much easier to use these
new technologies than EAS, even with the availability of CAP. 

Adrienne Abbott
Nevada EAS Chair