Washington, D.C., September 21, 2016 – This week’s use of a 90-character Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) to help catch the suspect in the recent New York and New Jersey bombing cases is an example of how new technology can…

In its latest filing in support of the joint petition seeking FCC approval for broadcasters’ voluntary implementation of Next Gen TV, America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) extols the virtues of ATSC 3.0 Next Gen TV generally and specifically its public safety applications, including AWARN.

The first half of 2016 has seen a flurry of inquiries and proposed rules by the Federal Communications (FCC) regarding emergency alerting. One noteworthy FCC public notice relates to a report the FCC was directed by Congress to prepare on possibilities for delivering earthquake-related emergency alerts using the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS).

This petition asks the Federal Communications Commission to amend its rules to allow broadcasters to use the signaling portion of the physical layer of the new ATSC 3.0 (“Next Generation TV”) broadcast standard, while they continue to deliver current generation DTV broadcast service to their communities.

AWARN presents a rare opportunity to dramatically improve America’s public safety communications capability. AWARN can provide this public benefit by dual-use of the backbone of the nation’s existing television broadcasting transmission capacity and the new technology of ATSC 3.0.

AWARN, utilizing the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) 3.0 standard, could provide a powerful backbone for delivering earthquake early warnings (EEWs) to the public from terrestrial television stations. Organizations supporting AWARN have described its capabilities in a related FCC proceeding.