Will CAB + CRTC = EAS?

The development of emergency alert services seemed to get a lift mid-month when the Canadian Association of Broadcasters got behind the CRTC's voluntary, cooperative approach to implementation. But will the lobby group be able to get all of its members moving in the same direction?"The CAB agrees that the broadcasting system will necessarily be a central element of an effective alerting system," reads a June 13 letter from the CAB to the commission. "The CAB appreciates the importance of this matter and undertakes to do its part to support full and constructive participation of private radio and television broadcasters in the development and deployment of such a system."In its letter, the CAB also commits to forming an internal task force to identify and address issues relating to the participation of Canada's private broadcasters in a national emergency alerting system. "The task force will provide advice and guidance to CAB members and staff participating in various government/industry committees associated with this work, including the ."However, if the history of EAS in Canada has taught us anything, it's that cooperation among all necessary groups - broadcasters included - can be hard to achieve.Movement towards a national EAS was renewed at the end of February when the CRTC removed the regulatory obstacles to their implementation (Public Notice 2007-20). The CRTC also decided EAS implementation should be voluntary, and denied Pelmorex Communications Inc.'s application to have its proprietary All Channel Alert service deemed mandatory for all BDUs (CCR, March 16/2007). Among those who intervened in opposition to any mandatory EAS were CHUM Limited, CTV Inc. and Canwest Global Communications Corp. According to the CRTC, "The broadcasters argued that a more effective approach would be to build on their own local emergency reporting function and systems... stressed that allowing third parties to interrupt programming would fundamentally undermine the broadcasters' editorial independence and journalistic integrity." Emergency management officials, however, were of the mind that a mandatory system would speed implementation and would simplify delivery of emergency messages from official sources to the public. "That's the risk if we have too many people playing in the same pot. We're going to have messages that contradict each other, and that's what I'm scared about," Alain Normand, then president of the Ontario Association of Emergency Managers, told CCR in April. Perhaps trying to achieve a middle ground, the CRTC ruled that EAS implementation be voluntary, but stressed that "to build an effective national emergency alert system, cooperation and will of all levels of government and of emergency management officials, broadcasters, BDUs and other stakeholders is required." This is where the CAB's influence could be beneficial. As it counts most Canadian broadcasters as members, the lobby group is in a position to get more parties moving in the same direction, but it all depends on the extent of the "advice and guidance" its task force is planning to provide (the CAB declined to comment further on its letter to the commission). In Ontario, the CAB seems a step behind. CCR learned at the end of April that the Ontario Association of Broadcasters is teaming with Emergency Management Ontario to create a service called Alert Ontario (CCR, April 30/2007). The formal announcement of Alert Ontario is expected to come some time in July, and the extent to which it is integrated with Ontario's radio and television broadcasters could serve as an example for other provinces as well as the CAB. Although the impact the CAB's involvement will have on the EAS front remains to be seen, its participation should only help. When it comes to implementing a voluntary service, it stands to reason that the more volunteers, the better.

Will CAB + CRTC = EAS?

News | 06/25/2007 1:59 pm EDT

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