EAS Policy Considerations

• Cellular wireless EAS is only one of the many tools for alerts that could be utilized, any regulation needs to look at the entire issue with all of the options in balance

• There are numerous policy questions involving alert protocols that need to be resolved before any possible cellular wireless EAS is deployed. These policy decisions include:

• Who initiates alerts

• What are the triggering events

• What should the alerts say and how should they say it (text, voice, or data)

• What should the geographic scope of alerts be

• Expectation of service

• Performance criteria for delivery of alerts

• Legislation and regulation will need to expressly address cost recovery mechanisms in a manner that allows solutions to be win-win-win for the government, the public and the industry

• There are liability concerns surrounding the delivery of or failure to deliver alert messages.

• With any cellular wireless solution there is a need for detailed liability protection provisions.