By Bob Brewin
January 10, 2013
That’s one of the key, upfront messages in the Federal Communications Commission report on the June 2012 storm that knocked out communications and emergency 9-1-1 services in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions of the country.
Conventional radio and TV broadcasters operated without a hiccup in the wake of that storm, the FCC said, filling a valuable role as “first informers” when nothing else worked.
Public safety call centers worked with broadcasters “to provide updates on 9-1-1 service and alternate ways of obtaining emergency assistance….some reports advised residents to call 9-1-1 only for true emergencies, and provided 10-digit administrative numbers for other questions about cooling shelters and restoration of power,” the FCC said.
The FCC noted -- and I imagine this is for the iThing generation -- that plain old radios work real well on plain old, inexpensive batteries that don’t require charging.
What a concept. I think plain old radio has a real future.
By Bob Brewin
January 10, 2013
http://www.nextgov.com/defense/whats-brewin/2013/01/emergency-you-need-plain-old-radio-or-tv/60603/