In June 2006, President Bush signed an executive order mandating that FEMA create the next-generation EAS system; IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert and Warning System) was created. The FCC published the Second Report and Order in July 2007 which included references to Next Generation EAS and made the statement "...all EAS Participants must be able to receive CAP-formatted EAS alerts no later than 180 days after FEMA publishes the technical standards and requirements for such FEMA transmissions." In February 2008, the FCC and FEMA hosted a symposium on the future of EAS. Shortly after, ECIG (the EAS-CAP Industry Group) was created to provide recommendations and guidelines on how CAP messages can be consistently converted to EAS. A draft of the CAP EAS Implementation Guide was completed by ECIG in April 2010.
What is CAP?
Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) is a general format standard used to collect and disseminate all types of emergency alerts and public warnings over a wide range of information management and warning disseminations systems.
In late March 2010, the FCC sought informal comments regarding the adoption of the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), and the revisions to the EAS rules that would be needed. Several responses received by the FCC identified the need to provide (in the regulations) details regarding the distribution of CAP messages, including modification of EAS State Plans in order to identify monitoring assignments. Many responses commented on the 180 day implementation period; all but one of these suggesting that the FCC extend the time period (typically 12 to 24 months). The suggestion was made that the trigger point for beginning the implementation clock should be changed so the technical specifications could be published and CAP products tested prior to starting the clock. Identification of certification requirements for CAP devices and the inclusion of multilingual messaging – including the centralized availability of translated emergency information – were also requested. Other comments asked for clarification on EAS rules that are ambiguous or incomplete, especially in the area of the "Presidential Message."
What is ECIG?
EAS-CAP Industry Group (ECIG) is a committee made up of EAS manufacturers and stakeholders within the communication industry.
FEMA and the FCC hosted a workshop on 21st Century Emergency Alerting in June 2010 in which comments submitted to the FCC, and the current state of IPAWS, were discussed. FEMA believes they are on target to release information in the September 2010 time frame, however it is unclear as to how much information will be available at that time. FEMA listed among its accomplishments, the availability of the IPAWS Conformity Assessment Program, which will be accepting applications to test the ability to produce and consume CAP v1.2 USA IPAWS "Profile" v1.0 information. While this is indeed an important milestone in the implementation of a CAP-based messaging system, it does not appear to address the delivery of CAP messages, nor can it test requirements for the audio and video content aired to the public (because there are no requirements defined yet). For these reasons, some attendees of the workshop questioned the usefulness of the conformance test. Many attendees also voiced concerns over the feasibility of the 180 day implementation period.
While much progress has been made in the development of a CAP-based standard for the United States, there is still a great deal of work to be done, and the implementation time frame is at best dubious. The interfaces for receiving CAP messages, identification of monitoring sources, distribution systems, security mechanisms, and translation to EAS must be clearly defined before products can truly guarantee correct operation and compliance with a standard. Also, the underlying infrastructure for distributing CAP messages must be operational before CAP messages can be made available to EAS Participants. The FCC is likely going to amend the Part 11 rules to include CAP requirements and possibly dates for conformance. They may also specify requirements for EAS-CAP products
If you are required to participate in EAS, keep abreast of changes to the FCC Part 11 rules and the IPAWS program status. Due to the overwhelming concern regarding the difficulty of the 180 day implementation time frame, we believe that it will be extended to at least one year.
Trilithic will continue to actively participate in the events, discussions, groups, and workshops surrounding EAS and IPAWS CAP. We will be proactive in keeping you informed of the status and implementation schedule for any new regulations. We will be ready with solutions when the time comes to comply with new regulations or change existing ones.
