John Lawson

With its local broadcasting partners, the AWARN Alliance is convening a series of roundtable discussions between local TV stations and local emergency managers – the people who issue emergency alerts. The goal is to lay the groundwork for the voluntary use of NEXTGEN TV Advanced Emergency Information (AEI) and “reboot” the historic relationship between broadcasting and public safety.

The current COVID-19 pandemic starkly illuminates the interconnectedness of all nations regarding the health and safety of their citizens and visitors. Even before the virus began dominating the news and rearranging the way we live, the increases in frequency and severity of natural disasters driven by global warming have impacted hundreds of millions of people, often across national borders. Innovation for Advanced Emergency Alerting (AEA) is needed now more than ever.