Those with Monroe CAP/EAS decoders have been able to receive Required Weekly Tests (RWT) from Washington, via the internet. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) Aggregator delivers the tests to Nebraska every Monday at 11:00 AM Central Time (10 MT). Monroe makes the DASDEC and R189 One-Net EAS equipment.

Sage CAP ENDECs (blue box) will have an update to make them compatible with the IPAWS messages by the first of March 2012.  Soon all CAP/EAS equipment will be able to "receive and log" the IPAWS/CAP RWT for Nebraska every Monday.  More importantly potentially life-saving emergency alerts will be coming via IPAWS soon as well.

============== General Info ===============

The FCC has set a date of June 30, 2012 for all stations and cable systems to be required to receive Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) Internet Provided (IP) messages from the FEMA IPAWS Aggregator.  A full time internet connection will be required on your CAP/EAS equipment. Contact your manufacturer for details.

The National Weather Service in Nebraska is presently installing their IPAWS CAP equipment and will be sending weather alerts via IPAWS well before June 30.  Other Nebraska emergency agencies are making plans to generate CAP messages through the IPAWS system, perhaps even this year.

Separate but parallel to EAS is WEA.  Most if not all wireless phone companies are gearing up to disseminate and sell phones that respond to Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) messages.  The system is also known as CMAS or PLAN.  It broadcasts emergency messages to all WEA capable phones by region at no charge.  It will NOT use SMS for individual texts to separate devices.  WEA is also triggered by a CAP message from the FEMA IPAWS Aggregator, the same as CAP/EAS.  Look for the WEA logo on new phones.

The IPAWS system should be in full operation this summer. Be ready, CAP is your friend.  It is a step in the right direction to send relevant and meaningful emergency messages to your audience.  This is especially valuable for automated stations and cable systems that do not have 24/7 staff to broadcast local emergency messages.  

Please contact Jim Skinner (jskinner@kxvo.com) with comments or questions about CAP EAS in Nebraska

Your Nebraska State Emergency Communications Committee (SECC) is still working on updating the Nebraska State EAS Operational Plan. The state still operates on the plan from October 2007. However we have just updated the list of LP-1 stations (see PDFs). We have submitted these updates and map of LP-1 stations to the FCC. There is also a minor change to the State Relay network in Nebraska.

Basically Nebraska is moving all LP-1 and State Relay to FM radio. We have found that FM radio is the most reliable and universal way to distribute EAS with the legacy system of distribution. In the next month the Nebraska SECC plans to release the updated EAS State Plan with these lists included.

Specific changes to FM LP-1 monitoring assignments are as follows:
Omaha LP-1 now will be KGOR 99.9 FM
Lincoln LP-1 is KFRX 106.3 FM
North Platte LP-1 is now KZTL 93.5 FM
Norfolk LP-1 is KEXL 106.7 FM

There may be other LP-1 updates not listed here. Check the attached list & map to confirm your LP-1 monitoring assignment.

NOTE: All broadcasters and cable systems are required to monitor a National Weather Service station and a State Relay station on EAS equipment. We are also highly encouraged to monitor an LP-1 station.

NET Radio is a 24 hour service where NET TV transmitters sign off at night. We have found most broadcasters and cable systems already monitor NET Radio because EAS receivers typically do not have a TV option. NET TV will continue to relay statewide EAS alerts and tests but as a secondary service not as the official State Relay system.

If you monitor an AM station that should still work, but please make plans to update your system and monitor an FM LP-1 especially if you have any reception problems day or night with an old AM assignment. ===========================

As time progresses, CAP/EAS distribution in Nebraska will be through the FEMA IPAWS aggregator. Stations and cable will need to have an internet connection and install updated equipment to be CAP compliant. Federal RWTs are currently being sent to Nebraska via IPAWS on Mondays at 11:00 AM Central Time (10AM MT). Some brands of EAS equipment are able to decode the tests now and the others will be soon. There will be posts on this Nebraska EAS group as the tests become universally available.

On January 10, 2012, the FCC released its long-awaited Emergency Alert System (EAS) rules addressing Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) messaging. For more information go to: http://www.awareforum.org/category/eas/