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What trends in broadcasting could impact FCC compliance for Emergency Alert Systems?
The most immediate trend is the switch to
digital programming. The vast majority of
older EAS technology is analog, which isn't
acceptable over the long term on HD
channels and requires a lot of manual
manipulation. That adds time and expense,
of course, especially as broadcasters add
more digital channels. Newer IP-based EAS
systems can give broadcasters a complete
package solution that handles EAS alerts on
HD/SD channels automatically.
Another issue is the upcoming new EAS
requirements of which CAP (Common
Alerting Protocol) is a significant part. New
EAS systems are prepared to handle the
new alerts once FEMA and the FCC define
the changes in the upcoming year.
Are there other trends that affect EAS
compliance for broadcasters?
The evolution of the video delivery network
is a significant one. As broadcasters develop
distributed systems, with multiple channels
in remote locations, it can increase the cost
and complexity of delivering customized
EAS messages and meeting FCC requirements.
New networked EAS technology
enables broadcasters to meet those requirements
and improve the EAS system while
actually lowering the cost of deployment.
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If an older analog EAS solution is working,
why should a broadcaster switch to a
digital system?
The primary reason is to simplify the transition
to digital and HD signal transmission.
The new Emergency Alert Systems can
handle digital signals automatically, which
saves broadcasters significant time and
resources over analog systems, just in
setting up HD alerts. But switching to an
IP-based EAS system with automation
software can make a big impact on productivity
and efficiency in other areas, too - by
offering broadcast engineers remote
programming capabilities, for example, and
eliminating the need to compile FCC
compliance logs manually.
How would an automated EAS solution
look different from the manual process?
From a broadcaster's perspective, EAS is a
necessity. But it doesn't have to drain your
profitability like older analog systems can - with simple things like filling out manual
compliance logs taking up a lot of staff time.
An IP-based, networked solution brings the
process into the computer age and essentially
makes it foolproof. It stores logs in
digital format, prints out FCC-compliant
reports, and even automatically monitors
weekly test configurations and sends a
notice if there is a discrepancy. Automating
this whole process frees up your staff to
focus on the real emergency jobs instead of
the mundane, routine EAS processes.
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Are there other benefits to switching to
IP-based, networked EAS technology?
Yes, and many are the ones you'd expect to
gain when you switch from a manual
process to a networked computer platform.
For example, updates are easy. You can just
download software or firmware instead of
taking the unit out of service for a hardware
replacement to handle something as simple
as Daylight Saving Time. Plus, you can get
remote control of regional EAS content
from a centralized location instead of
having to manage each station or location
individually. The efficiency gains can be
quite significant.
Does digital EAS technology enable
broadcasters to provide any new or
enhanced services?
It may, depending on how CAP, or
Common Alerting Protocol, format
standards evolve. For example, there may
be a trend to send image files, such as a
picture of a child or a vehicle, in conjunction
with an amber alert. With digital EAS
technology, we can simply drop an FTP file
of the image into the message. If a station
already has a sophisticated character
generator, that's not a new capability. But
why tie up your expensive, primary stream
character generator for an EAS message?
This takes care of it automatically.
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