CSRIC Approves Reports on WEAs, Submarine Cable Protection, Infrastructure Sharing
The Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council approved a report Wednesday from CSRIC Working Group 2 on wireless emergency alerts that recommends the FCC modify its current 90-character limit rule for WEA alerts, to allow for messages of up to 280 characters for 4G LTE devices following technology confirmation by the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS). The FCC should retain the 90-character rule for WEA alerts for devices using legacy 2G and 3G networks, but the working group believes the goal should be to phase that limit out as 2G and 3G devices go offline, said CTIA Assistant Vice President-Regulatory Affairs Brian Josef, Working Group 2 co-chairman. “We’re raising the floor” but recognize that some devices will be able to accept WEA alerts of only up to 90 characters, Josef said during the CSRIC meeting.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
CSRIC also approved reports from Working Group 8 on submarine cable landing sites and Working Group 9 on Infrastructure Sharing. Working Group 9’s reports focused on assessing ways to share transport infrastructure and backup power resources after an emergency.
Working Group 2 recommended that the FCC modify its geo-targeting rule for WEA alerts to allow participating providers to voluntarily transmit WEA alerts to areas below the county level. The group also recommended the FCC allow phone numbers in WEA alerts and Amber Alerts. The group also recommended that FEMA, industry and alert organizations collaborate with ATIS on work on geo-targeting best practices, along with calling for a social science study on whether showing a cellphone user’s location in relation to a threat area will maximize public safety.
CSRIC approved a report by Working Group 8 asking the FCC to urge federal agencies to improve their submarine cable protection rules. The U.S. cable protection regime is generally inadequate even though the federal government has identified the cables as part of the nation’s critical infrastructure, said North American Submarine Cable Association Counsel Kent Bressie of Harris Wiltshire, Working Group 8 chairman. The group recommended the FCC revoke or revise its current rule requiring the cable be moved at the request of the Army secretary, because it’s “inconsistent” with submarine cables’ status as a critical infrastructure element, Bressie said. The FCC should also favor industry-endorsed exclusion zones around existing submarine cables, endorse existing industry best practices and seek greater penalties for cable damage, Bressie said.
Working Group 4 on cybersecurity best practices remains on track to submit its final report by CSRIC’s March 18 meeting, with an interim report likely to be ready by mid-January, said Working Group 4 co-Chairman Robert Mayer, USTelecom vice president-industry and state affairs. The interim report is currently in the drafting process and is continuing to draw on work that the National Institute of Standards and Technology is doing to gather feedback on its Cybersecurity Framework, which Working Group 4 is adapting for communications sector use, Mayer said. Working Group 3’s report on emergency alert system security improvements is also on track for a March 18 vote, said NAB Associate General Counsel Larry Walke, Working Group 3 co-chairman.