The NAB and vendor Digital Alert Systems are going head-to-head over broadcasters’ push to launch a formal FCC rulemaking that would allow stations to adopt software-based Emergency Alert System technology instead of physical hardware.
In reply comments filed this week, NAB wrote, “There is nearly unanimous support for this update – with only one self-interested detractor,” referring to Digital Alert Systems and its 46-page filing of objections. “DAS’s doomsday warnings against a software-based EAS option should be taken with a large grain of salt.”
For years, the NAB has sought to give stations the option to use virtual encoders and decoders (ENDECs) rather than requiring physical “one-box” devices.
The NAB emphasized that Sage Alerting Systems, the other major EAS supplier, not only supports the change but also plans to end production of its hardware due to legacy part shortages. Sage called the transition long overdue, writing, “The time for a software-only option has come.”
Public broadcasters, cable operators, engineers, and manufacturers have backed the proposal as a way to improve alert system continuity, security, and resilience. The Society of Broadcast Engineers noted that software-based solutions would eliminate the need to “locate, schedule, and deploy a contract engineer to physically diagnose and repair” a device.
NAB said it approached both Sage and DAS in 2021 to explore the idea, but only Sage engaged constructively. “Trying to present the FCC with a fully-baked, bulletproof Petition for Rulemaking that anticipates and answers every conceivable question DAS can conjure up would only delay progress even more, and perhaps indefinitely, which may well be DAS’s goal,” NAB wrote.
The group also clarified that its proposal would not eliminate hardware, but instead offer stations a choice. “EAS is the last link in modern broadcast air chains that remains stuck in a hardware world,” NAB concluded. “It is long past time for the Commission to allow EAS to similarly evolve into a software-based environment.”
In response, Digital Alert Systems issued a strong rebuttal, defending its opposition to a proposed FCC rulemaking that would allow software-based Emergency Alert System processing. “Our comments are grounded in a sincere effort to foster mature, professional dialogue on a matter that reaches far beyond the business interests of any single manufacturer,” wrote Digital Alert Systems Vice President of Government and International Edward Czarnecki.
DAS cited its existing suite of software-based EAS tools—such as the HALO monitoring system and Collector ingestion platform—as evidence that the company is already innovating in this space. However, it stressed that software-based EAS systems pose serious questions about cybersecurity, timing accuracy, compliance enforcement, and network isolation that have yet to be adequately addressed.
“We reiterate that we remain open and willing to work with stakeholders, including NAB, the FCC, and FEMA, to thoughtfully explore the path forward,” wrote Czarnecki. “But that path must include space for rigorous discussion, technical vetting, honest disagreement, and earnest compromise.”
