Globe editorial calls FM radio "outdated technology"

[Bill Smith]

Cellular networks very rarely fail completely and if they do fail, it's usually 
well into a storm and only a site or two at a time. It's actually amazing at the 
number of people that suddenly need to call someone when the weather gets bad 
stressing system capacity. As for a variant of EAS, it could easily be 
implemented with SMS which handshakes unlike broadcast.

Personally, I use the NWS alert system, but I'm a radio nut and don't mind 
carrying multiple devices and getting laughed at...

Bill



________________________________
From: Bob DeMattia <bob.bosra@demattia.net>
To: boston Radio Interest <boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>
Sent: Mon, August 23, 2010 5:24:43 AM
Subject: Re: Globe editorial calls FM radio "outdated technology"

>
> There's also a (spurious)
> argument about receiving EAS alerts (there's no reason the carriers
> could not be required to use their own technology to deliver EAS
> messages just as cablecos are).
>
>
True. the cell carriers could do this - but the argument is less spurious
when
you consider the number of times the cell phone network has failed during
emergencies.  While storms can also take broadcast stations off the air,
I can't recall when all of the stations in a particular area were all off at
the same
time.

In additional to this, EAS is checked on a regular basis.  It would not
be practical to test a cell phone distribution system, as this would have
to involve setting off people's phones.

-Bob