iHeartMedia is throwing its substantial weight behind a proposal from the Federal Communications Commission to allow broadcasters to use software-based Emergency Alert System encoder/decoder technology.
The largest operator of radio stations in the U.S. said it strongly supports the concept of using software to perform EAS functions in place of dedicated EAS equipment.
The operational benefits could be substantial, iHeartMedia told the FCC in August comments on the commission’s Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
The FNPRM, if adopted, would allow EAS participants, including TV and radio stations, to retire dedicated EAS hardware devices to process alerts if they choose.
iHeart agreed with the FCC’s assertion in the proposal that software-based EAS protocol reflects how modern broadcast facilities are designed, operated and maintained today.
“Overall, the broadcast industry has successfully adopted virtualized and software-defined architectures across automation, audio processing, monitoring, networking, routing and content distribution,” iHeart wrote in its comments. “Software-based EAS is a natural extension of these existing broadcast technology trends.”
[Related: “NAB Backs Most Proposed EAS Changes at FCC”]
The FCC has said the proposal would encourage EAS modernization and resiliency.
Voluntary implementation of software-based EAS would also likely reduce unnecessary capital expenditures associated with hardware refresh cycles for participants, iHeart told the commission.
In turn, iHeart said that lower EAS implementation costs via software systems will encourage greater adoption of the functionality software offers, while also preserving public safety objectives.
NYPR supports quickly moving forward
Meanwhile, New York Public Radio is asking the FCC to adopt the EAS software proposal “expeditiously.”
NYPR is the licensee for the flagship station WNYC(FM) in New York, which is an EAS State Relay and acts as the LP-1 station for the city.
The public media outlet’s comments, signed by NYPR Chief Technology Officer Steve Shultis, focus on the need to align rules with today’s technologies, which potentially can reduce unnecessary burdens on EAS participants.
Shultis and NYPR agreed with the commission’s determination to explore the technical and operational benefits that may arise from the use of EAS software, “including streamlined operations, improved remote maintenance and control, and increased security of EAS equipment.”
The outlet encourages the FCC to regulate with a “light touch” and allow stations sufficient flexibility in implementing software EAS technology.
“Moreover, NYPR agrees with the commission’s proposal to ‘prohibit EAS from being generated within cloud-based systems or cloud-based third-party EAS services,’” it said in its comments.
At the same time, NYPR said it appreciates the FCC’s efforts to build flexibility into EAS software, which can be installed in multiple locations of the air chain, such as studios, transmitter sites and auxiliary locations.
“This is key to system resiliency. For example, if studios must be evacuated in an emergency, messaging generated from alternate locations will facilitate an uninterrupted information flow,” NYPR said.
NPR backs requirements, but with caveats
National Public Radio is also siding with the FCC on efforts to update the nation’s alerting system and the voluntary deployment of EAS software.
But NPR urges the commission to steer clear of “additional requirements” that could potentially impose huge regulatory burdens on public radio stations.
Specifically, NPR focuses its comments on the FNPRM’s proposals beyond EAS software, which include requiring the authentication of all alerts before transmission; establishing a universal alert identification number to reduce duplicate messages; and expanding geotargeting options for EAS.
For the “other new proposed requirements,” NPR urges the commission to enact a policy of “encouraging EAS participants to adopt new practices rather than mandating new requirements.”
NPR continued: “Moreover, for any new policies or requirements adopted, the commission must fully account for the costs any new requirements would impose on EAS participants such as radio stations.”
In its comments, NPR also reminded the FCC that radio “is a vital, and at times the only, means for delivering life-saving emergency alerts and updates.”
In our next report, Radio World will examine what EAS equipment manufacturers think about the shift to EAS software.
You can read filed comments in PS Docket 25-224 at the FCC’s website site. The deadline for reply comments on the FNPRM is Sept. 29.
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