Commissioners Appear Open-Minded on Wireless Alert Reporting Requirements
FCC commissioners indicated support for potentially imposing reporting requirements on carriers, as they approved a Further NPRM seeking comment on improving wireless emergency alerts 4-0 Thursday. CTIA has already expressed concerns over mandates in what has been a voluntary program (see 2204140046). The FCC also released a public notice on partnerships with local emergency agencies to gather data on how WEA is performing at the local level.
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FCC officials told reporters it’s up to the Federal Emergency Management Agency when a second national WEA test might be held, following last summer’s test (see 2108110067). “The item is essentially the same” as circulated by Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, said Nicole McGinnis, Public Safety Bureau deputy chief. The FCC updated statistics and added a few questions “about technical feasibility in light of current cell-broadcast technology” following up the points raised by CTIA, she said.
“While our reliance” on WEAs “has grown, our rules have not always kept pace,” Rosenworcel said. “For radio and television systems, we require participating broadcasters to file detailed reports after each nationwide test disclosing specifics about performance,” but carriers don’t face a similar requirement, she said.
Rosenworcel noted GAO recommended two years ago gathering and assessing performance information on the effectiveness of alerts (see 2007310046). “We propose performance reporting that would, for the first time, give increased transparency into reliability, speed and accuracy,” she said: “We seek comment on how we can improve consistency, speed-up the pace of alert receipt and prevent unintentional duplicate alerts.”
“An ineffective WEA system is no system at all,” said Commissioner Brendan Carr. “If emergency managers cannot count on the system to deliver their messages on time and to the intended area, or if the public loses trust in WEAs’ reliability, officials and the public will opt out. Even now, approximately 62% of authorized emergency management agencies have never used the WEA system. And a system that delivers few alerts to a dwindling audience becomes an afterthought rather than a life-saving tool.”
“Some jurisdictions have become hesitant to issue” WEAs “because they have lost faith in the reliability and accuracy of the system,” said Commissioner Nathan Simington.
WEAs aren’t perfect and all don’t receive them, said Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. “They may be delivered outside of the targeted emergency area,” he said: “Or, those who do receive them may not do so in a timely fashion, depriving recipients of precious seconds to prepare in the case of emergency.” The issue is “especially important for low-income and other high-risk individuals that disproportionately rely solely on their mobile devices for critical information and may reside in higher risk communities,” he said.
WEAs are “an effective part of the nation’s public safety framework, and the wireless industry works diligently to continually enhance the WEA system and strengthen emergency communication,” emailed Scott Bergmann, CTIA senior vice president-regulatory affairs. “We remain committed to working with our partners at the FCC and FEMA to build upon WEA’s proven success through ongoing, feasible efforts that will ensure consumers continue to receive critical information when it matters most.”
“WEA is a powerful tool for protecting people, but there's plenty of room for improvement,” tweeted Nicholas Garcia, Public Knowledge policy counsel. “Having data and metrics about how the system performs is essential to make sure WEA can continue to save lives.”