NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with SpectraRep LLC, an affiliate company of BIA Advisory Services (BIA), to evaluate how broadcast television datacasting can provide a resilient, redundant pathway for delivering NOAA Weather Radio audio and data during emergencies. (Read the full announcement)

What this means for broadcasters:

• Highlights the growing role of broadcast television infrastructure as a critical component of the nation’s emergency communications ecosystem.
• Evaluates how ATSC datacasting can provide a secure, redundant pathway for delivering NOAA Weather Radio audio and data during emergencies.
• Explores how broadcast television can complement other communications technologies to strengthen resilient, multi-modal emergency alerting.
• Could help establish a scalable nationwide model that reinforces broadcasting’s role in public safety and emergency communications.