[EAS] Of Monkeys and Messages

[Barry Mishkind]

Well, here is the key issue.
I've said it a few times before, and it is no less valid now.

EAS can only be as useful as *all stakeholders* want it to be.
Many - if not most - stations have had enough over the
years of errors and fake alerts. Managers and Program Directors
have, in many - if not most - markets told the engineer to
block anything except RWT, RMT, and EAN. 

Yes, a few places the TOR is often used. 

But in far too may places, the EAS alert goes nowhere. 
It could be better, but it cannot be on the backs
of the tech community to bring management and 
programmers along. 

The BWWG - or what remains of it - has tried to
foster the cooperation and federal/local understanding
of the value/responsibility of the EAS. Sadly, the
mandatory FCC rules vs local "Please cooperation and
work together" EM policies have only reinforced
the abject failure of what EAS could be. Events like
the forced upgrade of EAS boxes and certificate
"musical chairs" have only left bad tastes in the
mouths of station *forced* to buy, install, and
watch their EAS boxes do very little. 

A few locations have become rife with amber and
silver alerts. Again, sadly, the huge areas hit
with these alerts often result in more resistance
to the EAS.

.. and do not start on the major issues in the
general NYC and surrounding areas that would
make some stations all-EAS all the time.

It might seem that many are waiting for Congress
to pass a law of some sort. But, as currently
written, one might be excused for being cynical
as to whether any places other than the few,
like Washington State are able bring the
necessary people and organizations together.

rant responded... 

At 06:09 PM 12/11/2020, Adrienne Abbott wrote:
>It's a wonderful thing when you have a good working relationship with your
>state and local emergency officials. And you can help them understand what
>you and EAS can and can't do for your community. You can even help them
>understand why WEA might be a better choice for issuing emergency
>information in certain situations and why they shouldn't send an EAS
>activation or WEA message for information that is currently dispersed by
>every form of media in existence. But the point comes when we have to
>understand that some decisions are made by forces, often political, which
>are beyond our control. 

 - - 

Barry Mishkind - Tucson, AZ - 520-296-3797