The state of the current Emergency Alert System has many problems and moving to a new digital system may do more harm than good. Funding for the new system is an area of great concern to states as well as vendors. And the question remains, will a new digital system bring much needed improvements or just more problems?

This week the Federal Communications Commission hosted the Emergency Alert System Summit in order to open dialogue between the private sector and the government community to assess the state of our current EAS and the future of the system. The system was originally created for the President to reach people across the country in the event of a national emergency or natural disaster.

While participation in the National alert system is mandatory for cable companies, the use of an alert system in the state and local sector is not compulsory. There are a variety of reasons why many localities do not participate including funding, lack of standards, and cable providers' disinterest, among others.

Until the new Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) is in place, the state and local arena will remain an untapped resource for vendors to provide the technology and training necessary to implement an EAS. FEMA may view CAP as the answer to the problems associated with the current system, but in actuality it will require more technologies to be in place and could just lead to even more pitfalls. CAP includes more regulations and rules that will make compliance even more difficult.

The future of the EAS will be digital and a more developed method of reaching small areas that are affected by a weather disaster or other emergency situation. Much of the state and local scene is wary of the new system and the CAP regulations because quite often federal mandates call for swift change without providing the funds necessary or enough time.

The DHS and FEMA must lead the way for a new alert system to be successful and implemented in a cost effective manner, especially at the state and local level. Establishing a set of regulations is necessary, but it can't be done without input from cities and counties across the country. A panel or set of committees needs to be established in order to effectively create an alert system that all states will want in their community. A firmly established set of goals and requirements will motivate states and federal government to provide money for an EAS as well as giving vendors the knowledge and understanding of what is necessary for the EAS that they will provide each state.