NOAA JOINS CEA IN ANNOUNCING NEW STANDARD FOR PUBLIC ALERT RECEIVERS
CEA-2009 Enables Consumers to Make Better Use of Public Alert Digital Codes

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced today its collaborative effort with the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) to develop a new performance standard for public alert receivers to protect lives and property. The effort included the cooperation with Environment Canada. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Public Alert Receivers for NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) broadcasts using the new industry standards will be entitled to bear a new certification from the Consumer Electronics Association. The standard, titled
CEA-2009 - Receiver Performance Specification for Public Alert Receivers, defines minimum performance criteria for consumer electronic products designed to receive the digital alert signals broadcast by NWR and Environment Canada’s Weatheradio network.

“The Public Alert designation is a new and vital initiative, and NOAA welcomes this chance to work with CEA and Environment Canada to bring this time critical information to consumers, emergency managers and others committed to keeping people and property out of harm's way,” said John J. Kelly, Jr., deputy under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere. “Broadcasting emergency messages over the all-hazard NOAA Weather Radio system can save lives and property, and I am very pleased that a range of CEA-2009 compliant products will soon be available to the American public.”

The standard enables consumers to make better use of warnings, watches and public alerts issued by NOAA. Messages broadcast by NOAA are the single source for comprehensive weather and emergency information available to the U.S. public. The standard expands the functionality of the receivers by increasing the options available to consumers about when and how they are notified of these alerts.

“It is important to have standards for products intended for public safety,” said Dwayne Campbell, chairman of the working group that developed the standard. “CEA-2009 establishes industry-wide standards for devices used to receive public safety alerts broadcast over the NOAA emergency alert system. This standard will help ensure products incorporating this technology provide reliable and consistent public warnings.”

The standard defines consistent alerting signals such as colored lights and LCD displays, that will indicate a public alert notice has been issued even when the device is in standby. This “push” technology greatly enhances the public safety aspect of Public Alert certified receivers by allowing users to make better use of the information available to them.

NOAA Weather Radio is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information from a nearby NOAA National Weather Service office. NWR transmits National Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day. In addition, NWR broadcasts warning and post-event information for all types of natural hazards, such as earthquakes and volcano activity, and technological events, such as chemical releases or oil
spills.

The NWR network has more than 870 transmitters, covering the 50 states, adjacent coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the U.S. Pacific Territories. The National Weather Service will discuss its capabilities at the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Jan. 7-11, 2004 in Las Vegas, Nevada in booth 23607 in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

NOAA National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. NOAA National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy. To learn more about NOAA National Weather Service, please visit http://www.nws.noaa.gov.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) promotes growth in the consumer technology industry and represents more than 1,000 corporate members involved in electronics, communications and information technology, as well as related services that are sold through consumer channels. CEA-2009 is available from Global Engineering Documents at: http://global.ihs.com. Additional information about CEA's Technology and Standards department can be found at: http://www.ce.org/standards.