News Archive

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/

On Wednesday November 9 there was the first ever national test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS). We learned a lot.
In Nebraska our Federal Primary Entry Point to the statewide EAS network is from the NPR satellite system to NET Radio & TV in Lincoln. The original audio from Washington had some problems. However the audio through the NPR system was over modulated. Then the NET connection from NPR was distorted even worse despite the system being tested on a closed circuit basis weekly.
As a result most broadcasters and cable systems in Nebraska received EAS data bursts for an Emergency Action Notification (EAN) but totally unintelligible audio. Some states had something closer to the original audio from Washington, but many did not.
The Nebraska SECC meets on Tuesday November 15 to discuss how to improve our EAS system for national alerts. The SECC will also be discussing the current draft of the State EAS Plan. A lot of national information is not available to do a complete state plan update yet.
One issue that needs to be addressed is making better use of the Federal PEP station KRVN as an alternate path for Broadcast and Cable EAS in south central Nebraska. KRVN had a successful EAN test compared to most of Nebraska. A Local Emergency Communications Committee (LECC) in south central Nebraska could be instrumental in such improvements.
We learned a lot. That is what tests are for. In that sense the first National EAS/EAN Test was a success.

Jim Skinner CPBE CBNT
Nebraska EAS SECC Chair
November 12, 2011