Capitol Broadcasting's CBS affiliate WRAL-TV
has announced that it will be demonstrating the proposed Mobile Emergency Alert
System (M-EAS) to emergency service managers and providers
on Sept. 13 at an event in Raleigh, N.C.
The
event will be streamed live from 6-7 p.m. ET at WRAL.com.
The
new emergency technology uses the mobile DTV broadcasts that many stations are
deploying, including WRAL, which began mobile broadcasts three years ago.
Using
M-EAS broadcasters will be able to transmit video,
audio, photos, maps, text, interactive on demand emergency information, live
news streams and other information to anyone who has a mobile DTV device.
Broadcasters
have been promoting the idea as an important complement to emergency alert
systems because it has a number of advantages over cellular systems, which have
frequently been overwhelmed by traffic during emergencies or have gone down due
to lack of power.
Some
public television stations have been testing M-EAS, which was
demonstrated at CES and NAB. The Advanced
Television Systems Committee is currently upgrading the ATSC Mobile Digital TV
Standard so that these emergency alerts and information can be more easily
delivered.
