[EAS] Improvements from past national tests

[Dave Kline]

Sean,

Thanks for the reminder that I was tapped to "rouse rabble" about the Day-of-the-test report.

Who else thinks this is the most unnecessary burden ever placed on broadcasters?

We didn't have an NPT last year "due to Covid" so some may have forgotten. But FEMA has announced that there will be a national EAS test in August. For those of you who were around two years ago you'll recall that there are three forms associated with this test.

What may be a complicating factor for this year's NPT is that it will be distributed via the Primary Entry Point (PEP) system. You old timers (most of us) remember PEP as being distributed by select AM stations, and that is still very much the case. Of course satellite delivery is also common these days. But there is no standard operating parameters for the regular testing from these outlets. This could mean more issues for this year's test. Does that create additional headaches for submitting reports? Is this all the more reason that we should have more time to submit the information?

Form 1 is your station's (or stations') preliminary information. The timeline and deadline for completing/updating this is reasonable IMHO. Then there is Form 2, and I'll circle back to that.
Form 3 is the detailed report. You have 45 days to submit it. I think this is also reasonable.

The results of the 2019 NPT took the better part of a year to be published. So why is it necessary to fill out a Form 2 at all, let alone have to submit information within just a few hours of the test for every station you deal with? Can't that information just be rolled into Form 3? It's not like any corrective action based on information gathered on the day of the test will take place the day after the test.

It's not the submission that is so much the burden. After all you can submit the results for each of your stations in one filing. The problem is in gathering the information from each of your EAS boxes so you can fill out Form 2 before the end of the day. As far as I'm concerned, this "day of" criteria is completely ridiculous. Does any one else feel that way?

If so, what can we do about it? And by "we", I mean each and every one of you tasked with the responsibility of submitting these forms. Can, or should Form 2 be eliminated? Or is it acceptable that Form 2 be submitted within a reasonable time frame. What works for you? Three days, Seven, Ten?

And who do we go to if we want this changed? Will the NAB pick up the banner on our behalf? How about the SBE? Or will these get bogged down in big organization politics and paperwork?
Do we take it up directly with FEMA, or the FCC?

The alert dates are not yet set in stone, and as far as I know the other details for the August test are still yet to be worked out. If we acted quickly and in sufficent numbers, is it possible that we can get this changed before the NPT slated for later this year?

What are your thoughts? Is this something to which you are interested in lending your name?
Are you willing to try to get your SECC chairman on board to lend his? How about the officers of your local SBE chapters and your state broadcasters associations?

This isn't something that we can just let the other guy do, or hope that any of our representative organizations will take on with any haste. We need to make a peaceful and respective noise, but a noise that will be heard.

So what's the best way to get this done? Where do we start if we want to convince the powers-that-be, to do away with this "day-of" reporting associated with the National test. If you are on board with this and are willing to contact others to get on board, then let me know what you think.

Thanks
Dave

On Fri, Apr 30, 2021 at 5:43 PM Sean Donelan <sean at donelan.com> wrote:

>10 years for national tests have resulted in some improvements, i.e. there
>is an 80% chance an EAN might actually work (and be understandable) now.

>    c. Stupid deadlines are stupid.  Deadlines are neccessary, otherwise
>people procrastinate, but if the FCC's not going to do anything with a
>form for 3 months, why a same-day deadline?

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Dave Kline - Solder Jockey
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