Advanced emergency alerting among drivers of NextGen TV transition

As the broadcast industry navigates the transition to NextGen TV, emergency alerting capabilities are part of the transition’s unique value proposition for broadcasters.

Ed Czarnecki, VP of government affairs at Digital Alert Systems, explained that advanced emergency information in ATSC 3.0 extends far beyond traditional Emergency Alert System (EAS) functionality.

“Advanced emergency information is different than EAS, but can complement it with relevant information that broadcasters, the ultimate local first informer, can bring to the table,” Czarnecki said in an interview with NewscastStudio.

Digital Alert Systems provides alert and warning solutions across North America and the Caribbean, serving what Czarnecki describes as “the vast majority of the television market in the U.S. with government-certified equipment for monitoring, verifying, validating and forwarding emergency alerts over the air.”

Beyond traditional alerts

The current EAS, implemented in 1997, delivers standardized alerts to everyone in a market area. NextGen TV’s advanced emergency information capability allows for more targeted and comprehensive emergency communications.

According to Czarnecki, the technology enables “real time transmission of urgent information, total situational awareness” and delivers information directly relevant to specific viewers.

In wildfire scenarios, for example, the system could supplement basic alerts with “graphics, video, highly localized instructions on what to do in an evacuation or shelter scenario, where to go, what to expect, what to bring with you, what not to bring with you,” Czarnecki said.

This functionality also extends to non-emergency scenarios, such as traffic updates, school closings and other community information.

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Regulatory environment

The National Association of Broadcasters has proposed sunsetting ATSC 1.0 in major markets by 2028, with the remaining markets following by 2030.

“It’s very clear that we need to focus on NextGen TV and, if you will, peel the bandaid off and start moving away from ATSC 1,” Czarnecki said.

He noted that the current “lighthouse” model, where one station provides ATSC 3.0 service while others continue in ATSC 1.0, “does not provide a whole lot of room for innovation in services or new business opportunities.”

Several FCC rulemakings on emergency alerting could impact the transition timeline. The Commission has already issued orders regarding multilingual alerting for Wireless Emergency Alerts on mobile phones, and similar requirements could extend to broadcast.

“If the FCC wants a multilingual EAS capability, that would be best happen through ATSC [3.0] and the ability to handle multiple audio tracks,” Czarnecki said, noting that Digital Alert Systems’ equipment can currently provide translations in multiple languages, including Spanish, Hmong and Somali.

Implementation challenges

Despite the potential benefits, several factors have slowed ATSC 3.0 adoption.

For public broadcasters, funding represents a significant hurdle, particularly after the suspension of next-generation warning system grants.

“Public broadcasters are a unique case because of their funding model,” Czarnecki said. “The fact that the next generation warning system grants have been suspended for the time being, hopefully revived, but have been suspended, does pose a major challenge.”

For commercial broadcasters, the business case remains a primary concern. Czarnecki identified additional challenges, including the need for “greater consensus and coordination between the broadcast and the consumer electronics industry” and improved market education.

“I think there needs to be a greater understanding in the market, in the engineering community, as well as the marketplace in general, on the existence of ATSC 3.0, greater consumer acceptance of it, greater understanding of the necessity of a broadcast application,” he said.

Technology readiness

While market and regulatory questions persist, Czarnecki emphasized that the technology is mature and ready for implementation.

“We are dealing with many mature technologies, proven technologies in ATSC 3.0 that don’t make this a science project. This is not a future scheme. ATSC 3.0 exists today,” he said.

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Digital Alert Systems’ equipment, which Czarnecki said is deployed in “80 to 90% of all U.S. TV stations,” already contains the software necessary for advanced emergency information in ATSC 3.0.

“For us, that’s exciting. The ability that we can facilitate a seamless migration from ATSC 1 to ATSC 3, make sure EAS is supported as it must be supported, add additional enhancements to even legacy EAS, including symbology in multiple languages,” he said.

Czarnecki argues that the enhanced emergency information capabilities of NextGen TV align directly with FCC public interest objectives, particularly regarding accessibility and multilingual support.

“From a public service perspective, from a public policy perspective, it makes every sense in the world for the FCC, for the government to support ATSC 3.0 and the migration rapidly from ATSC 1 to ATSC 3,” he said. “It objectively is for the public good when you look at what the FCC wants to accomplish in those areas.”

As the industry awaits regulatory decisions that could shape the ATSC 3.0 transition timeline, emergency alerting functionality stands out as both a technical capability and a public interest justification for NextGen TV.