The worldwide Consumer Electronics Association, which includes more than 2000 worldwide electronic companies, created a standard for alerting consumers to all-hazard emergencies, including earthquakes, tsunamis, tornados, terrorist attacks, chemical spills, etc.

Certified Public Alert capabilities are now found in various products (such as bedside radios, community alerting systems, telephones, consumer televisions, home security systems, mobile radios, etc.), and have been endorsed under a transmission and reception compatibility standard for 2004 for both the United States and Canada.    More than 1100 transmitters now provide digital data transmissions to more than 97% of the U.S. public, and approximately 70% of the Canadian public. 

Public Alert certified devices are based on a new technical standard (CEA2009) of the worldwide Consumer Electronics Association (CEA); and far exceed the alert capabilities of EAS, even those proposed.    They are further supported by the new global CEA Public Alert Technology Alliance, including the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and both Canada Environment and Canada Industry's Emergency Telecommunications group. 

During the past four months this new platform has received limited media and consumer coverage including reports from CNN, NBC, NOAA, MSNBC, ABC, FOX, U.S. Radio Network, Mexican Broadcast Services, the Wall Street Journal, TV Guide, USA Today, New York Times and TIME. 

Created after more than 4 years of development and commitment from the worldwide consumer electronics industry, the estimated industry R&D exceeded $45 million and more than 60,000 engineering man-hours.    (CEA member's net sales exceed $100 billion U.S. dollars annually.)

This new global public emergency standard is launching now, with devices already in consumer's homes beginning in July 2004.    Public Alert devices are not conceptual, nor are they among the "visions" offered by independent consultants and partnership committees.

Public Alert devices utilize a common transmission platform (FM VHF digital data transmissions), and a common international-compatible reception basis.  They are products with thousands of hours of consumer testing, behavioral science studies, and national field-testing programs ---- already completed.   The devices being purchased by consumers today already achieve the following:

1.  100% alert transmission and reception compatibility along both the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders, and throughout all of the U.S., and all U.S. territories, all overlapping marine areas, and throughout the country of Canada.

2.  Activate alerts beyond the current limited EAS activation codes, effectively going well beyond current U.S. standards, even those proposed.    More than a dozen new codes provide added public safety capabilities, but remain backward compatible with older EAS alert codes.

3.  Provide automatic translation for all alerts (including those unique to Canada) into multiple language text.    These are the first devices to include English, Spanish and Canadian French.   And they can easily support "unlimited" languages due to digital data translation abilities.

4. Every certified device includes uniform alert technology for the hearing impaired.

5.  Rapid response to digital data alert triggering signals.    In order to be certified a Public Alert device must decode and trigger using solely digital data signals ---- not analog.

6.  The reception devices (and transmission system) incorporates SAME technology to trigger alerts by geographic locations, while standardizing and simplifying consumer operation and set-up. Televisions certified as Public Alert capable include thousands of geographic locations, quickly accessible by simply highlighting your local community from listings shown on the screen.   These are consumer friendly devices, all standardized to one uniform platform.

7.  Every certified Public Alert television can provide 100% alert compatibility when connected to ANY and ALL cable providers (even those without EAS), ANY and ALL satellite systems worldwide (even those without EAS), and ANY and ALL broadcast channels worldwide.

8.  Every Public Alert device offers silent triggering during all government tests, and weekly  tests. The devices end the "cry wolf" syndrome of weather radios, and virtually eliminate annoying alerts outside the immediate neighborhood of the user.

9.  Every Public Alert device can alert even when they are turned "off" if the user wishes. Most have options to respond with chimes, sirens, electronic voice mode, expanded text, and all have emergency text.    Operation is already 24/7/365 in the U.S. and Canada.

10.  All Public Alert devices include standardize warning indicators in a "green-yellow-orange-red" format, based on extensive consumer behavioral studies, and two years of consumer testing.

11. All Public Alert certified devices include a minimum level of tuner and decoding performance, capable of providing 96% of the U.S. population with full alert access --- even while they sleep or watch other entertainment (DVD, VCR, Cable, Satellite, etc.)

Additional information at www.ce.org/publicalert

Additional example of a Public Alert device (within a television) at www.rca.com/alertguard

-John Merrell, Chairman, CEA Public Alert Technology Alliance

IAEM member, and Project Concept & Development Manager at TTE Technology, the parent company for TCL, Thomson, Scenium, and RCA television products