LYNDONVILLE, N.Y.: The Monroe Electronics Digital Alert Systems division today said its digital emergency alert platforms have been certified compliant for the new Integrated Public Alert and Warning System. IPAWS is the federal directive to update the nation’s emergency warning system to include wireless and broadband platforms.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is in charge of implementing IPAWS and certifying that equipment can handle the new common alerting protocol, or CAP. TV and radio broadcasters must have CAP-compliant equipment up and functional by September. The Monroe platforms are the first to show up on FEMA’s Responder Knowledge Based website.
Monroe said it received FEMA’s Suppliers Declaration of Conformity for its DASDEC and the One-Net emergency messaging platforms. Monroe said its platforms also are FCC Part 11 and Part 15 certified, “effectively satisfy all the requirements necessary for EAS participants to meet the FCC’s September deadline for CAP conformance by broadcasters and cable TV operators respectively.”
Monroe’s DASDEC-II emergency messaging platform is an IP-based, CAP-compatible digital EAS encoder/decoder with a standard browser-based interface for remote monitoring and control. New DASDEC-II systems come IPAWS compliant; older units in the field may be made compliant with a free upgrade, Monroe said. The previous version of the platform received Radio World’s 2010 Cool Stuff Award and then started at $2,695. One-Net is a CAP-capable EAS encoder/decoder for cable and IPTV.
Barry Mishkind is keeping a log of IPAWs progress at his Broadcasters Desktop Resourcewebsite.
~ Deborah D. McAdams, Television Broadcast
