NAB, APCO Counsel Caution on Changing TIS Rules
Travelers information stations (TIS) broadcasting limited information to drivers should get the FCC permission they seek for a “narrow expansion” of rules so they can provide more types of emergency information, the NAB said in replies in docket 09-19. Other commenters in the docket also supported expanding TIS, some further than what NAB suggested. Highway Information Systems and the American Associations of State Highway and Transportation Officials had asked the Public Safety Bureau to amend TIS rules, which the bureau sought comment on.
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NAB supported expanding TIS operations to allow for Amber alerts and traveler’s aid services that some states provide when people call 511 on their cellphones, as well as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration “all hazard” alerts. There’s “broad support” for that expansion, NAB noted. “TIS rules in this manner will provide critical additional information that will enhance travelers’ situational awareness during emergencies,” though “issuance of these types of emergency alerts is also subject to federal guidelines, thereby ensuring that travelers receive clear, consistent messages and information,” NAB said. But the association said it remains opposed to “proposals that would allow TIS operations to carry routine information not related to travelers or emergencies. Such a radical change would alter the fundamental nature of TIS operations and dilute the unique value of TIS service as a source for emergency and other travel-related information."
Ocean City, Md., said TIS is an untapped resource. “As a coastal community, we have had need in the past to broadcast important information for the protection of life and property to a transient and constantly changing population who may be unfamiliar with our Town,” the city said. “With an influx of tourists, plus our seasonal employee population and year round citizens, it is critical to be able to reach the mobile population at any given time with the appropriate emergency information that pertains specifically to our community."
"As a Police Chief I am … aware that all disasters are local, and it is imperative that local operators have the expressed authority to broadcast, at their discretion, public safety information for the protection of life and property in their communities,” said Robert Champagne, police chief in Peabody, Mass. “The traveling public is a broad descriptor, that at any given moment can represent a significant percentage of the total local population."
The American Association of Information Radio Operators asked the FCC not to impose a restriction sought by NAB and other groups that TIS not be permitted to broadcast non-emergency weather material from the National Weather Service. “AAIRO rejects this unjustified restriction as inconsistent with the core purposes of the TIS service and unwarranted by any empirical evidence in the record,” the group said. “AAIRO does not seek to open TIS content widely to ‘local public announcements.’ But, the Report and Order creating TIS I expressly referenced ‘weather forecasts’ as permissible content on TIS stations.”
The Association of Public Safety Communications Officials said it’s “neutral” on the key question of whether TIS should be expanded to allow any type of local governmental information to be broadcast on TIS stations. “We are concerned that it could dilute the emergency purposes of TIS and potentially confuse travelers accustomed to finding time-sensitive safety and traffic information on TIS stations,” APCO said. It said the FCC should “proceed cautiously in addressing more fundamental modifications to this valuable service.”