The stress of dealing with the immediate aftermath of real-world disasters is leaving broadcasters with little appetite for an FCC mandate that would require more paperwork.
In new comments, the National Association of Broadcasters criticizes an FCC proposal that would require broadcasters to file reports in the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) during emergencies. The NAB says the most pressing need for broadcasters following a disaster is finding fuel for generators, and that is where the FCC should focus its efforts.
The latest comments were reported in a new disclosure filing that recaps a meeting last week between FCC Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau staff and representatives from the NAB, Beasley Media Group and Morgan Murphy Media.
The NAB has said before, and reiterated it in the meeting, that it believes mandatory DIRS filings will disrupt the emergency restoration efforts of radio and TV stations.
[Related: “Broadcasters Worry About Mandatory DIRS Reporting“]
Broadcasters currently voluntarily file reports in DIRS, but the FCC says too many stations, particularly small and medium-sized stations, choose not to voluntarily file DIRS reports. The FCC says it typically only hears from 20% to 35% of stations, which leaves a gap in the commission’s awareness of broadcasters’ status during a disaster, which it says could hinder emergency response efforts.
Per the most recent filing, Mike Cooney, CTO and EVP of engineering for Beasley Media Group, told the FCC staff at the meeting that mandatory DIRS reporting would have hindered his efforts to maintain operations of the only functioning broadcast station within 100 miles of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina (in 2005).
Cooney also described similar challenges at another station during Hurricane Irma, in which persistent requests for updates on the station’s status distracted him from the more important task of restoring operations.
Morgan Murphy Media Director of Engineering Bill Vickery told commission staff that, at most stations, the individual responsible for maintaining operations is also responsible for complying with FCC reporting obligations.
Vickery in the meeting told the FCC of his experience in such a “swivel chair” job trying to keep a station on the air during a tornado in Missouri.
“Many immediate tasks arise during such a disaster that could be delayed by mandatory DIRS reporting,” he said, “such as moving news and technical crews around devastated neighborhoods, removing debris that blocks access to the studio and transmitter, repairing and finding replacement equipment and troubleshooting IT problems, among others,” Vickey said during the meeting.
Morgan Murphy Media owns and operates radio and television properties and is based in Madison, Wis.
The NAB in last week’s meeting also pushed back on the notion that mandatory DIRS filing for broadcasters could somehow lead to stations returning to the air more quickly. The NAB and broadcasters said filing a DIRS report has rarely, if ever, led to government assistance that helps a station maintain or restore service.
“Broadcasters understand that emergency response officials often have more critical, competing demands during a disaster, and therefore do not count on such assistance,” the NAB wrote in the ex parte filing. “However, the one-way nature of DIRS reporting raises questions about the benefits of DIRS reporting from a broadcaster’s point of view.”
Several public advocacy groups have commented in favor of the DIRS reporting mandate for broadcasters, but NAB says the commenters “demonstrate a lack of real-world experience in dealing with emergencies or understanding of the competing demands on station staff during a disaster.”
The commission voted earlier this year to mandate expanded participation in DIRS for wireless, cable and internet companies.
As part of the same proceeding, the FCC is also considering imposing an obligation for broadcasters to report outages in the Network Outage Reporting System (NORS). Comments on the commission’s proposal (PS Docket No. 21-346) can be read online.
