By Richard Weitz
Threats to the U.S. homeland will remain elevated into 2024.
The Gaza War will likely inspire transnational terrorism, the Strategic Posture Commission highlights the expanding long-range missile arsenal of America’s adversaries, and further severe weather emergencies and cyber attacks against critical U.S. networks seem likely.
U.S. policy makers must take measures now to thwart such threats while enhancing the resiliency of U.S. public safety infrastructure to manage those homeland crises that nevertheless occur.
Ensuring access to crisis communications systems during all kinds of emergencies—from terrorist incidents to natural disasters—is essential for this latter process.
One safeguard is to sustain widespread low-cost access to federal, state, and local emergency communications systems such as the National Public Warning System and the Emergency Alert System. These networks enable emergency responders to disseminate alerts during even severe crises.
An admirable effort toward that end is the AM for Every Vehicle Act, which is supported by large bipartisan coalitions in both branches of Congress. In the Senate, the bill almost passed last month by unanimous consent, except Sen. Rand Paul mistakenly depicted AM Radio as essentially an optional entertainment device.
For decades, AM radio has proven its reliability and resiliency as a form of communication during a disaster. For these reasons, police officers, fire fighters, and medical personnel have long relied on AM radio to disseminate critical messages.
Every former administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the national agency responsible for assisting with large-scale disasters and managing the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System for authenticating emergency messages, from the last four presidential administrations supports the bill, as do current members of the Federal Communications Commission.
The AM for Every Vehicle Act would mandate that all new passenger motor vehicles (i.e., not motorcycles) include equipment to access AM broadcasts at no additional charge to consumers, preserving free over-the-air radio in cars even as subscription fees and other charges are creating a “digital divide” with some novel communication technologies.
The bill would apply the same requirement to imported as well as domestically produced automobiles so as not to disadvantage U.S. manufactures.
AM radio has long been the most widely used means for the local, state, territorial, and federal authorities to communicate with the public in times of emergency. It is particularly valuable for rural areas where broadband Internet and other communication resources may be less accessible.
Communicating messages across geographic and political boundaries is challenging. Each emergency responder entity in the United States determines the technical and functional requirements for its communications equipment. An advantage of AM radio is that it is already widely available.
Furthermore, its signals travel wide distances and can traverse mountains, buildings, forests, and other obstacles that can impede other direct line-of-sight media.
Another unique feature of the nation’s some 4,000 AM radio stations is that FEMA has arranged for them to broadcast emergency messages to one another, generating wide-area coverage and inherent redundancies against the loss of any single station.
Additionally, AM radio remains especially popular among some groups of listeners, such as Hispanic communities and older people who might shun smart phones and other novel technologies. In any case, the principle of simplicity of use is valuable for all emergency communications systems.
Much of the disarray in the emergency response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and other severe storms resulted from the toppling of communication towers and the limited availability of cars in flooded areas. FEMA has since taken steps to ensure that AM broadcasting stations have enhanced resiliency against common challenges such as loss of power or flooding.
During the recent fires in Maui, while the cell phones and sirens stopped working, the first responders could still use radios to disseminate life-saving information. Meanwhile, even when electric networks are down, automobiles can generate their own power for radios and other functions.
The AM for Every Vehicle Act would also authorize the Government Accountability Office to assess if alternative technologies could replicate the effectiveness and long distance of AM radio broadcasts for the purpose of communicating with the public in emergencies.
Existing emergency communications technologies should not be abandoned before superior systems are widely available and proven their effectiveness. Retaining existing networks while progressively incorporating new technologies is a prudent solution.
Given the threats we will face in 2024 and beyond, sustaining access to vital public safety technologies is critical for ensuring that communities remain safe and well-informed during crises.
Featured Image Credit: Photo 171226304 | Homeland Security © Artur Szczybylo | Dreamstime.com