FRPC seeking CRTC review of public alerting system

The Forum for Research and Policy in Communications (FRPC) is asking the CRTC to review the broadcasting component of the National Public Alerting System (NPAS). It initially filed the voluminous application in March but revised it Thursday. NPAS, also known as Alert Ready, allows federal, provincial and territorial emergency organizations to warn residents about impending threats to life and property. The National Alert and Dissemination (NAAD) system is administered by Pelmorex Communications Inc., parent company of the Weather Network/MétéoMédia. Pelmorex provides funding and staffing for NAAD in exchange for mandatory carriage of the weather channels by broadcast distribution undertakings (BDUs). The CRTC’s guidelines for emergency alerts have not been updated since 2014. FRPC feels it is well past time to review those regulations. “Little is known about which broadcasters actually distribute emergency alert messages,” the group writes. “The CRTC’s website offers an interactive map, but not a list, of last-mile distributors.” The application notes that while telecoms must notify the regulator about service outages, no such provision exists for broadcasters. FRPC states that CBC’s English-language radio service was disrupted in early 2024 and the Weather Network was affected by a cyberattack in the fall of 2023. The number, type and impact of emergencies has increased over the past decade, the organization says. The first National Risk Profile, published in 2023, named earthquakes, fires and floods as the costliest dangers facing Canadians. FPRC remarks that mass shootings have increased from nine in the years 1990 to 2009, up to 35 in the years 2015 to 2024. It states that timely information is crucial in battling emergencies. But public and private broadcasters have slashed staffing over the past decade. In addition the CRTC does not make note of how many radio stations are fully staffed between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. The FRPC is urging the commission to undertake a two-stage review of its approach to broadcast emergency alert messages, to take place over the next two years. The group has submitted a dozen questions for consideration, including the dissemination of alerts by wireless service alone rather than by broadcasters and wireless providers; should warnings be issued for threats to property as well as life; should the CRTC issue an annual report on the NPAS; and should there be public membership on any national Emergency Governance Council regarding NPAS and NAAD. That part of the review would take place this year if the FRPC recommendations are accepted. Stage two, set for next year, would see the commission hold public consultations based on the record of the stage one questions. The forum explains that following the 1998 ice storms in Ontario, the CRTC said it would convene a meeting to ensure prompt broadcast of weather warnings. The regulator did not publish additional information about the plan and dates, participants and results are not known. Broadcasters are subject to a “broadcast immediate” schedule for emergencies. The criteria for the designation are urgency, severity and certainty. The FRPC reported having difficulty in complaining to the CRTC about an emergency alert warning that was not received. Instructions on the commission website were vague and an information officer could only suggest filing a complaint with alertready.ca. The alertready.ca web page has a “submit a request” option but nothing else. The two main entities for broadcast complaints–the Canadian Broadcasting Standards Council (CBSC) and the Commission of Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS)--do not have jurisdiction over emergency broadcasts, the forum maintains. Although the commission has vowed to improve the NPAS, it has not published any data on its monitoring of the broadcasters involved. FRPC posits that the CRTC has the sole jurisdiction to get information on transmission of emergency messages. Emergency messages are not included in broadcast logs which every broadcaster is required to keep. The forum also notes an age gap in adoption of technologies. Younger people rely on smartphones while seniors are less likely to use them. “Even if many older people are online (and have cell- or smartphones), they tend to spend more time with radio than their younger counterparts,” the application notes. “In other words, while emergency alerts distributed by wireless devices are very likely to reach nearly all younger people, many older people may be more easily reached by emergency alerts distributed by radio.” – Reporting by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca

FRPC seeking CRTC review of public alerting system

News | May 31, 2024

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FRPC seeking CRTC review of public alerting system

News | May 31, 2024

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