On April 18th, John Lawson, president and CEO of the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) testified about local public television stations’ leadership in rolling-out a national all-hazards alert and public warning system before the FCC’s Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks.
Mr. Lawson discussed the Digital Emergency Alert System (DEAS) National Capital Region Pilot – a successful project between APTS and the Department of Homeland Security using digital technology to
improve America’s alert and warning system.
The DEAS pilot project demonstrates how government can improve public alert and warning during times of national crisis. At the hearing, Mr. Lawson provided a live demonstration where DHS generated a test message which was sent to the PBS satellite operation center and uplinked to the PBS satellite. WETA, a public television station serving Washington, DC, downlinked the message and datacasted it through their digital transmitter to receive units located in the hearing room.
The Independent Panel set up by the FCC may include the results of the APTS-DHS pilot project in its report on the impact of Hurricane Katrina on communications infrastructure, including public safety communications, and recommendations for improving disaster preparedness, network reliability and communications among first responders.
For more information, please contact Kristin Wilson at 202.654.4222.
