The Association of Public Television Stations and the Department of Homeland Security Put Digital Emergency Alert and Warning System to the Test

On July 12, 2006, APTS and the Department of Homeland Security held a press conference at public television station WETA in Arlington, Virginia to demonstrate and announce the deployment of the new Digital Emergency Alert System (DEAS). John Lawson, APTS President & CEO, was joined in hosting this event by DHS Under-Secretary David Paulison. Ken Rapuano, White House Homeland Security Adviser, also participated in this event, demonstrating the President’s commitment to implementing this important communications system. This announcement to deploy the DEAS happened on the heels of President Bush’s June 26, 2006 "Public Alert and Warning System" Executive Order to overhaul the nation’s public warning system.

The DEAS was created to be compatible with new technologies and improve safety officials’ ability to communicate with the public during an emergency. APTS and DHS have completed two successful six-month testing phases of the DEAS with participants from the broadcast, cable television and wireless industries. During the event, they will test the DEAS with more than 20 local public broadcasting stations participating across the country. The DEAS will improve communications during times of national crisis through the use of local public television’s digital infrastructure. When fully operational, the DEAS will alert officials, first responders and the public through broadcast and cable television, terrestrial and satellite radio, and other wireless networks, including cell phones and PDAs.

• Read the Press Release
• Read John Lawson's Press Conference Statement
• Read the DEAS Fact Sheet
• Read the June 26, 2006 "Public Alert and Warning System" Executive Order
• Learn more about Datacasting
• More DEAS Pilot Project Resources -- for members of the Homeland Security Coalition

The Digital Emergency Alert System will enable more people to receive more information more quickly.

• Critical information will be delivered to the public through the use of local public television’s digital infrastructure.
• Transmission of data over the digital broadcast signal is nearly instantaneous and can be distributed simultaneously to thousands of sites.
• Digital Television’s wireless data delivery avoids communication bottlenecks common to wire line and wireless services, such as the Internet, telephone and cellular networks.
• The system is "addressable" so that public safety agencies can pinpoint to whom the data is sent, whether to relevant agencies, hospitals, or the public at large.
• When fully operational, the DEAS will alert government officials and the public through broadcast and cable television, terrestrial and satellite radio, and other wireless networks, including cell phones and PDAs, to reach the largest possible number of people in an emergency.
• The decision to use the DEAS is a governmental decision that lies with the DHS. Public television stations are enhancing the delivery system and not involved in the activation decision making process.

The APTS-DHS pilot is consistent with DHS’s goals for an Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) framework. The goal here is to ensure that a DEAS can work with, and be complementary to, other aspects of an improved national alert and warning system.

• The APTS-DHS pilot was coordinated with other alert and warning pilots and vendors to meet the IPAWS framework.
• The WARN Act establishes a National Alert System to provide a public communications system capable of alerting the public on a national, regional, or local basis to emergency situations. The WARN Act embraces the interoperability required by IPAWS and allows for local origination.
• The ability to create and distribute local and regional messages and data packets is vital to a fully integrated emergency alert and warning system. It is in the best interest of the American people, who expect local and national coordination in times of crisis. Fortunately, the capability necessary to accomplish this is within our grasp.

The Digital Emergency Alert System is an example of public television’s leadership in the digital age and underscores our commitment to public service at the national, state and local levels.

• The DEAS uses the capabilities of America’s public broadcasters to dramatically enhance the ability of the President to communicate with the American public during a national crisis.
• The DEAS emphasizes the powerful capabilities of the digital TV transition in which public television stations have led the charge.
• Public television stations and the communities that support them, as well as state legislatures, foundations and the federal government, have raised more than $1 billion for digital conversion. With this announcement, local public television stations take a major step forward in using this same digital infrastructure to enhance public safety.
• Each digital television station will act as the nexus of a wireless networks capable of broadcasting data — or "datacasting" — information in its digital television signal.