Broadcasters, LG Take Next Steps Toward Mobile Emergency Alert System

The project is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and LG Zenith. PBS had selected WGBH Boston, Vegas PBS and Alabama Public TV to test mobile DTV capability to deliver alerts to citizens anywhere and at any time during emergencies (CD June 6 p11). “The genie in the bottle is it’s not just a text message like with the current emergency system for mobile phones, but a rich multimedia experience that has the potential of delivering video and photos,” said John Taylor, LG spokesman. The pilot system will use the DTV standard, the Advanced TV Systems Committee (ATSC) mobile DTV standard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Common Alerting Protocol. The project said it will evaluate factors such as feasibility, technologies, implementation costs and cost-sharing possibilities. On Nov. 9, the FCC and FEMA held the first-ever test of EAS nationwide.

LG is still developing the handsets to be used as part of the system, Taylor said. The manufacturer plans to preview two prototypes of the handsets at CES, he said. Taylor didn’t say how much was invested in the project, but said the investment is shared between LG and CPB. He said other investments are from Harris Corp. and mobile broadcast software provider Roundbox.

The selected stations are still gearing up for the test. WGBH began using mobile DTV capability in 2009 and expects the project to complement its mission to serve the public, said Chief Technology Officer Joe Igoe. As part of the station’s public service mission, “we would be protecting our viewers and mobile EAS is a great way to do that,” he said. To prepare, the network is gathering content from recent emergencies in the Boston market to simulate how mobile DTV would be used in similar emergencies, he said: It plans to provide maps of evacuation routes, damaged roads and “deeper and more useful information than you'd get from the current system.”

The project provides an opportunity to demonstrate how mobile DTV can be an asset to the nation, said Tom Axtell, Vegas PBS general manager. “As a broadcaster, I want to touch it, taste it … understand its limitations and see how we can integrate it into the mix of products we currently have.” Through the system, Vegas PBS also would like to gauge the potential use of mobile DTV to provide children with materials to improve their math skills, he said.

A mobile EAS can allow commercial and non-commercial broadcasters to increase their mobile DTV footprint, some broadcast professionals said. “Local stations take very seriously our role as first informers and having emergency alerting on mobile devices is one of the significant features of mobile DTV,” said Dennis Wharton, NAB spokesman. He said mobile DTV will allow the broadcast system “to deliver a robust and reliable signal immediately to the masses, which is something our other friends in the cellphone community cannot do.”

Compared to cellphone networks, mobile DTV provides advantages that saved lives during the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March, said Dave Arland, LG spokesman. “They have a system of mobile alerts that uses mobile DTV to automatically turn on devices during emergencies,” he said. “I think broadcasters and manufacturers and researchers watched with great interest what happened in Japan [and] I think we want to harness that same potential here.” The system will be a tremendous asset, said the Open Mobile Video Coalition. Mobile DTV is rolling out in a very big way in the U.S., said Executive Director Anne Schelle. “This is an enhancement and feature that broadcasters will be able to add to their system.”