"Communications
Daily" Refers to Rules Requests before
the FCC
May 2009 - the above-named national
daily offered
an overview of TIS Rules
changes/clarifications requested by
several professional agencies for emergency
broadcasts. AAIRO is placed in a
positive light with the need for a hasty
FCC response mentioned
–
good news if FCC personnel regularly
read the pub, as believed.
AAIRO
Rebuts NPR Comments
June 2009 - AAIRO submitted to the
FCC
a reply to comments National Public
Radio had filed on AASHTO's petition
(below). AAIRO board members wanted to
allay misunderstanding and emphasize the
need for expedient FCC resolution in the
form of simple clarification that TIS
operators may broadcast emergency
messages, such as, AMBER Alerts.
Additional rule-making is unnecessary,
based on original TIS tenets in Part 90
Rules, and would likely slow FCC
response time even more.
AAIRO
Comments on AASHTO Petition
April 2009 - the FCC issued a
public notice soliciting comments on
a petition it had received from the
American Association of State Highway
Transportation Officials. (AASHTO's
petition, along with a request for
broadcasting the availability of 511
telephone services, had
asked the FCC to change Part 90 TIS
Rules to specify that Travelers
Information Stations may broadcast AMBER
alerts.) In response to this call for
comment, AAIRO's Board of
Directors submitted a formal recommendation
that "clarification" of about AMBER
alerts would be preferable to a slower
"rule-change" procedure. The Board
reminded the FCC that AMBER alerts were mentioned in AAIRO's own petition for
clarification submitted last Fall (see
below). The Board implored the FCC to
respond to that petition, because
community-based operators across the
country still are waiting.
See the Board's complete comments on
AASHTO's petition
here. See AAIRO's petition
immediately below.
FCC
Issues Public Notice on
AAIRO Petition
March 2009 - the FCC published a Public Notice
for public comment on AAIRO's petition. The
initial comment period ended March 16;
and the reply/rebuttal period ended
March 30, 2009. Click
here to see comments filed.
Essentially AAIRO's Petition asks the
FCC to clarify Travelers Information
Radio Stations Part 90 Rules to specify
public safety use by officials licensed
to operate the stations. The FCC should
pass on this soon.
FCC Grant Acknowledges Emergency Use of
TIS
November 2008 - the FCC granted Hudson
County, New Jersey, a waiver to
broadcast on 1710 AM due to the
importance of the station. The FCC's
grant states, "we find persuasive
Hudson's argument that granting its
requested waiver relief would serve the
public interest by promoting important
public safety objectives." It's good to
know the FCC acknowledges the value of
Travelers Information Stations for
emergency communication. (Hudson County
requested permission to use 1710 AM due
to interference (from commercial
stations nearby) on regular TIS
channels. Though a waiver is needed for
anyone to operate on 1710 AM, the
grant's language implies the emergency
value of all Travelers Information
Stations.)
Petition for Declaratory Ruling
September 2008 - AAIRO submitted to
the FCC a
"Petition for
Declaratory Ruling" of Part 90 TIS
Rules, requesting
clarification of Part 90 TIS Rules as
they relate to preventive emergency broadcasts.
See the
petition.
IAEM and AAIRO
The July 2008 - issue of IAEM Bulletin
introduced AAIRO to the
International Association
of Emergency Managers' membership. See
"The Power of 10 Watts to Protect
Millions," here linked by
permission.
Also, in September, IAEM
endorsed AAIRO's petition (linked
above), adding roughly 4,000
voices to the effort to clarify the
public safety role TIS stations play
every day in communities across the
United States.
See the letter.
APCO and AAIRO
The Association of Public-Safety
Communications Officials-International has submitted a letter of support to the FCC for AAIRO's
petition. APCO has more than 15,000
members.
See APCO's letter.
Communities
Support Petition
Below are examples of community support
for AAIRO's petition (described above)
that were submitted to the FCC.
*
See Lyndhurst, New Jersey, letter of
support.
* See
Clearfield, Utah, letter of support.
