The Federal Emergency Management Agency plans the first nationwide test of wireless emergency alerts to wireless devices using the presidential level code on Sept. 20, FEMA said in an FCC filing. FEMA sought waiver of FCC rules to let wireless carriers participate in the test, to start at 2:18 p.m. EDT and be transmitted throughout the U.S. and its territories. On the same day, FEMA said it plans the fourth in a series of nationwide tests of the emergency alert system, to start at 2:20 p.m. EDT. The WEA test “is necessary because it will determine if carrier WEA configuration, systems, and networks can and will process a Presidential WEA delivering the message via all WEA enabled cell sites with minimal latency,” FEMA said in docket 15-91. “FEMA proposes to conduct this test in September in conjunction with National Preparedness Month.” FEMA said tests of public alert and warning systems can “assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure for distribution of a national message and determine what technological improvements need to be made.” The WEA test will instruct wireless subscribers: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency plans the first nationwide test of wireless emergency alerts to wireless devices using the presidential level code on Sept. 20, FEMA said in an FCC filing. FEMA sought waiver of FCC rules to let wireless carriers participate in the test, to start at 2:18 p.m. EDT and be transmitted throughout the U.S. and its territories. On the same day, FEMA said it plans the fourth in a series of nationwide tests of the emergency alert system, to start at 2:20 p.m. EDT. The WEA test “is necessary because it will determine if carrier WEA configuration, systems, and networks can and will process a Presidential WEA delivering the message via all WEA enabled cell sites with minimal latency,” FEMA said in docket 15-91. “FEMA proposes to conduct this test in September in conjunction with National Preparedness Month.” FEMA said tests of public alert and warning systems can “assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure for distribution of a national message and determine what technological improvements need to be made.” The WEA test will instruct wireless subscribers: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency plans the first nationwide test of wireless emergency alerts to wireless devices using the presidential level code on Sept. 20, FEMA said in an FCC filing. FEMA sought waiver of FCC rules to let wireless carriers participate in the test, to start at 2:18 p.m. EDT and be transmitted throughout the U.S. and its territories. On the same day, FEMA said it plans the fourth in a series of nationwide tests of the emergency alert system, to start at 2:20 p.m. EDT. The WEA test “is necessary because it will determine if carrier WEA configuration, systems, and networks can and will process a Presidential WEA delivering the message via all WEA enabled cell sites with minimal latency,” FEMA said in docket 15-91. “FEMA proposes to conduct this test in September in conjunction with National Preparedness Month.” FEMA said tests of public alert and warning systems can “assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure for distribution of a national message and determine what technological improvements need to be made.” The WEA test will instruct wireless subscribers: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
House Communications Subcommittee members focused as much during a hearing on how to shape privacy legislation to reflect changes in access to customer proprietary network information as they did on trading barbs over the Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval effort that last year abolished ISP privacy rules (see 1806110054). The hearing had been aimed at the CPNI issue, with a trio of witnesses offering legislative recommendations in written testimony (see 1807030041, 1807090015 and 1807100063).
House Communications Subcommittee members focused as much during a hearing on how to shape privacy legislation to reflect changes in access to customer proprietary network information as they did on trading barbs over the Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval effort that last year abolished ISP privacy rules (see 1806110054). The hearing had been aimed at the CPNI issue, with a trio of witnesses offering legislative recommendations in written testimony (see 1807030041, 1807090015 and 1807100063).
NTIA petitioned the FCC to launch an NPRM to update the rules for the wireless priority service, designed to give priority to calls by public officials over other callers during times of network overload. “Although WPS has evolved considerably since its creation … in 2000, the rules governing the service have not changed since,” NTIA said in docket 96-86, on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Emergency Communications. Under WPS, officials get a card with a number they put into their phones. Questions have long been raised about effectiveness (see 1109060064). Many of the changes sought are “administrative in nature -- for example, to reflect shifts in the identity and/or responsibilities of the Federal agencies that oversee NS/EP [national security/emergency preparedness] communications, to address the need of more NS/EP-related entities and personnel for access to priority communications, and to recognize that priority today applies not only to network access but also to a communication’s path from end-to-end,” NTIA said. Other changes are more substantive, among them “allowing a limited set of NS/EP communications to preempt non-911 communications, and affording NS/EP users multiple ways to invoke priority treatment,” NTIA said. It also asked the FCC “take steps, as it did in 2000,” to remove or mitigate legal uncertainties that may inhibit carriers’ willingness to fully participate.
Senate Commerce Committee members Wednesday will weigh two newly discovered computer processor design flaws, one of which a researcher described as “probably one of the worst CPU [central processing unit] bugs ever found” (see 1807060015 and 1801260009).“I don’t think there are any solutions right now for what we’re going to be talking about,” Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., told us when asked about Wednesday’s hearing on Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities. “Hopefully, we’ll come up with some solutions. ... Maybe some of the professors can come up with something.”
Senate Commerce Committee members Wednesday will weigh two newly discovered computer processor design flaws, one of which a researcher described as “probably one of the worst CPU [central processing unit] bugs ever found” (see 1807060015 and 1801260009).“I don’t think there are any solutions right now for what we’re going to be talking about,” Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., told us when asked about Wednesday’s hearing on Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities. “Hopefully, we’ll come up with some solutions. ... Maybe some of the professors can come up with something.”
Senate Commerce Committee members Wednesday will weigh two newly discovered computer processor design flaws, one of which a researcher described as “probably one of the worst CPU [central processing unit] bugs ever found” (see 1807060015 and 1801260009).“I don’t think there are any solutions right now for what we’re going to be talking about,” Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., told us when asked about Wednesday’s hearing on Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities. “Hopefully, we’ll come up with some solutions. ... Maybe some of the professors can come up with something.”
Satellite and terrestrial interests are lining up on opposite sides over whether increasing interference Globalstar says it's seeing in the 5.1 GHz band is attributable to sharing that band with outdoor Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure operations. That the FCC will act on Globalstar's call for a notice of inquiry on mobile satellite service sharing with U-NII (see 1805220006) has doubters. Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America, told us the FCC isn't likely to reopen the 2014 sharing rules governing the band without more direct evidence of harmful interference.