Alert and Warning California Cable Industry Perspective

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Alert and WarningCalifornia Cable Industry
Perspective

• Jerome F Candelaria
• September 2008

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Cable In California about our Industry

• Invested 12 billion dollars in California since
  1996 to build out a two-way interactive network
  with fiber optic technology.
• Pass 96 of California homes with access to high
  speed broadband.
• Provides Voice Services To almost 2 million
  California customers.
• CCTA members include cable television systems and
  cable program networks.

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Cables Alert and Warning Milestones

• Cables role in providing emergency information
  to the public dates back to the early 1960s, when
  warnings were distributed to customers via
  electronic links to radio and television stations
  and federal, state, and local agencies that
  participated in the Emergency Broadcast System
  (EBS).
• In 1992 the FCC formally proposed extending the
  reach of the EBS (now Emergency Alert System or
  EAS) to cable television as part of a larger
  modernization of the EAS system.

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Milestones continued

• In1992 Congress enacted the Cable Television
  Consumer Protection and Competition Act,
  requiring cable systems to comply with such
  standards as the FCC shall prescribe to ensure
  that viewers of video programming on cable
  systems are afforded the same emergency
  information as is afforded by the emergency
  broadcasting system pursuant to Commission
  regulations47 U.S. C. Section 544(g).
• In October, 2005, the FCC expanded the EAS rules
  to require EAS participation by digital
  television (DTV) broadcasters, digital cable
  television providers, and digital broadcast
  radio, Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS), and
  satellite (DBS) systems.

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Cable and EAS

• Cable operators are required to provide the
  national EAS message (signaled by the Emergency
  Action Notification event code) and are
  encouraged to use their EAS equipment to
  disseminate information about state and local
  emergencies.
• Participation in national EAS alerts is mandatory
  for these providers. Dissemination of other EAS
  messages are done in accordance with the state
  and local plans required at Section 11.21 of the
  FCC rules.

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FCC Review of EAS

• The FCC is currently engaged in a review of the
  EAS to determine how to help expedite the
  development of a more comprehensive, next
  generation digitally-based public alert and
  warning system, building on the existing EAS (EB
  Docket No. 04-296).

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Cable Recommendations

• The next generation alert and warning system
  should consist of one fully-integrated nationwide
  system that builds on the existing EAS
  infrastructure and enables simultaneous
  distribution across media platforms.
• Cable supports the concept of a Common Alert
  Protocol (CAP).

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Recommendations Continued

• The FCC should mandate that telephone companies
  providing video programming be part of the EAS
  regime and have the same responsibilities of
  other cable operators.

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EAS For Persons With Vision and Hearing
Disabilities

• As new technologies develop, the cable industry
  will continue to work with the disability
  community and others involved in public safety
  efforts to improve access to vital emergency
  information under EAS for persons with vision and
  hearing disabilities.
• EAS message originators should be urged to
  provide detailed information in both audio and
  visual format so that individuals with hearing
  and visual disabilities receive the same
  information.

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Multilingual Delivery of Emergency Information
under the EAS

• The best means to provide EAS messages in a
  second language to cable customers is for the
  originator of the audio message to issue it in
  both languages, such as English and Spanish. The
  cable system would pass-through the bi-lingual
  audio message within the 2-minute EAS window.
• Cable systems have no capability to reformat or
  translate the messages.
• Regarding text messages, some systems have
  installed EAS equipment that is capable of
  supporting English and/or Spanish
• The affect of next generation EAS and the
  Common Alert Protocol (CAP) on the delivery of
  emergency messages to non-English speakers can
  not be determined until there is more information
  on the standard being developed by the Federal
  Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

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Beyond EASCable as Voice Service Provider

• As providers of voice services, Cable operators
  have made E911 service a component of their voice
  services and comply fully with the FCCs
  requirement to provide Registered Location
  information to the Public Safety Answering Point
  (PSAP) on 911 calls.

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Beyond EASCable as Video Service Provider

• Created by the Cable Industry,
• the California Channel expanded hours to cover
  legislative action and emergency relief efforts
  in the aftermath of the Oakland Hills fire, the
  Ferndale earthquake, and Los Angeles Riots.
• C-SPAN serves as a national public information
  platform in times of national emergency.
• The Weather Channel, CNN, and other Cable
  Networks also pass on alerts and warnings.

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Beyond EASCable as Internet Service Provider

• With 35,600,000 high-speed Internet customers
  nationwide, Cable is a leading platform for the
  Internet Ecosystem.