Emergency Alert System ENDEC hardware

Monroe Electronics, Inc. (Lyndonville NY, Orleans County; privately held) is the dominant US EAS ENDEC hardware manufacturer — the only company that produces both DASDEC and Sage-brand EAS encoder/decoders. Monroe Electronics acquired Digital Alert Systems (maker of DASDEC-II, the most widely deployed broadcast-station EAS ENDEC) and also owns Sage Alerting Systems (maker of the Sage Digital ENDEC and Sage 3644, the most widely deployed cable headend EAS device). The combination of DASDEC for broadcast radio/TV and Sage for cable headends gives Monroe Electronics a near-dominant position across all US EAS transmission paths. Monroe Electronics also produces the One-Net EAS platform and EAS network management software. Monroe is a small company — estimated <500 employees — operating in a niche market of ~50,000 total installed US EAS ENDECs. Its Lyndonville NY manufacturing facility is the primary production site for equipment that underpins the entire US mass notification infrastructure, including the Presidential Alert capability and AMBER Alert system.

TFT Inc. (Grass Valley CA; privately held) manufactures the TFT 911 and TFT EAS One encoder/decoder devices for broadcast radio and television. TFT is one of the original EAS ENDEC manufacturers — producing equipment since before the FCC mandated EAS in 1997 (successor to EBS, the Emergency Broadcast System). TFT's market position is primarily at smaller market broadcast stations and educational/public radio stations. TFT ENDECs are also used in some cable headend environments. TFT is an independent company that has not been acquired by Monroe Electronics, making it the primary standalone competitor in the US broadcast ENDEC market. TFT's Grass Valley CA facility is the design and manufacturing site for all TFT ENDEC products.

VIAVI Solutions Inc. (San Jose CA; Nasdaq: VIAV; formerly JDSU / JDS Uniphase; ~$1.1B revenue) acquired Trilithic Inc. (Indianapolis IN; a cable test equipment company that also made EAS headend equipment) and maintains the Trilithic EAS product line for cable and satellite operators. Trilithic's EAS equipment was primarily a cable headend product competing with Sage Alerting Systems. Following the Trilithic acquisition, VIAVI has focused on network test and measurement; the EAS product line from Trilithic has been largely maintained but not expanded. VIAVI's presence in the EAS market is declining as Sage (Monroe Electronics) dominates cable headend ENDEC installations.