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Emergency Alert System (EAS) Over
Broadband
Proactively taking Homeland Security to the growing online community
By: Bruce Bahlmann - Contributing Author (your
feedback
is important to us!)
Created: March 11, 2004
This paper is the product of
Broadband
Market Research
which is available from Birds-Eye Network Services.
Have you ever found yourself watching a television program or listening
to your favorite radio station when all of the sudden a message comes
through, “This is a test of the emergency broadcast system … this is only a
test…” What is strange but true, the FCC actually requires by law that all
broadcasters retransmit these signals as an important means of allowing the
United States government to quickly and reliably communicate with its
citizens. While the scope of EAS is expanding (e.g. Amber Alerts), the one
area it has not yet touched on is broadband. In this article we will explore
the future of EAS over broadband - a hybrid EAS system that will not only
traverse radio, television, and cable but, yes, also broadband Internet
services.
EAS and FCC Compliance
EAS is principally designed to provide the President of the United States
with the resources to communicate immediately with the American public in
the event of a national emergency. EAS compliance has become increasingly
important in light of the FCC’s recent creation of the Homeland Security
Policy Council. Under this policy, cable operators are required to carry the
Presidential EAS message to their subscribers. They also are encouraged to
employ their EAS equipment to disseminate information in cases of state and
local emergencies.
The FCC requires radio stations, television stations, and cable operators
to comply with very strict re-broadcasting requirements of all “official”
government communications. These regulations are not to be taken lightly –
fines start at $8,000 per instance if the EAS equipment is not working
properly. Such a fine is actually more than the cost of purchasing new EAS
equipment however depending on how large an operator you are this cost may
be somewhat of a hardship.
Growth of Internet Use over Television and Radio
Radio was the lifeline for Americans in the 1940's, providing news, music
and entertainment, much like television today. Programming included
soap operas, quiz shows, children's hours, mystery stories, fine drama, and
sports. The government relied heavily on radio for propaganda and official
communications with the American public. As the growth of television
surpassed the listenership of radio, the government began to turn its focus
on this media as another means of communicating with its citizens. EAS came
into being and radio and television are currently its primary delivery
mechanisms.
Today, another transition is taking place as younger people's Internet
use represent 39% of their combined time spent online, listening to the
radio, and watching TV (source: Harris Interactive July 2003). While this
percentage continues to increase, people who regularly go online can only
obtain emergency information if they visit appropriate informational web
sites. With no other alternative, the combination of radio and television
are no better than 61% effective at reaching the American public – an
increasingly alarming figure to the FCC and one that is only expected to
decline over time.
EAS over Broadband – Just a Matter of Time
Today, government has an increasing online presence and has dropped hints
about a national Internet Monitoring System initiative geared towards
keeping tabs on what information is flowing around the nation’s Internet.
The government’s interest in effectively wiretapping the nation’s Internet
is only part of their challenge. The other challenge is how it will
communicate with the growing number of online people when clearly they are
not watching television or listening to the radio. The only answer seems to
be, EAS over broadband Internet services.
EAS over broadband will employ a multiple tiered system that communicates
with people’s desktop computers as well as the sites they regularly visit.
One should expect that these messages could reach your computer even if you
were not browsing the Internet but merely connected to it. Such messages
will vary in priority or recommended action based on your proximity to the
announced event. Messages will be translated into your native language and
provide additional assistance or information to those unfamiliar in dealing
with such events. Like the emergency broadcast system, one should expect a
fair amount of tests to drill and practice the American public in properly
handling emergency events. Unlike SPAM or other unwanted messaging
alternatives, the American public will not find EAS over broadband an
annoyance, but rather a service of great importance. Potentially even life
saving.
Internationally, EAS over broadband will either lead or follow closely the
adoption of a similar service to what is offered in the United States. EAS
over broadband will be one of the key contributing events to universal
messaging and will force broadband operators of all shapes and sizes to not
only adopt universally compatible messaging standards but also very strict
security and trust relationships between their services and EAS trusted
sources.
Perhaps the days of thinking that while surfing the Internet you’re
completely on your own. However, just as you type another word in your email
to a friend, up pops an alert from the president of the United States
telling you information about something of great national importance and
what you can do to help the country or protect yourself. Today if you saw
such a message in an email, you would likely delete it, however if a similar
message came from a trusted EAS source, you may take it in a completely
different light. This isn’t just a dream and there are systems and software
that can do this today – it is only a matter of time.
Check out these other Birds-Eye.Net papers/products regarding
broadband:
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