Next-generation 911 is about as far as along as can be expected since Congress hasn’t provided adequate funding and a number of states have raided 911 funds, speakers said at an FCBA brown-bag seminar Thursday. A week ago, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the agency was making a push on the development of best practices for calls to 911 and working to speed transition of public safety answering points to NG-911 (see 1801170047).
A false alarm warning about a ballistic missile headed for Hawaii is likely to be Senate Commerce Committee members' primary focus during a Thursday hearing on emergency alert systems, but it's likely other issues also will factor into the debate, lawmakers and lobbyists said in interviews. The committee planned the hearing in direct response to the Hawaii alert, which caused panic there Jan. 13. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in 253 Russell. The panel is just one element of the expected congressional scrutiny of the incident; a House Communications Subcommittee framed a planned Feb. 16 FCC oversight hearing as targeting ongoing issues with emergency alerts (see 1801160054 and 1801170050).
A false alarm warning about a ballistic missile headed for Hawaii is likely to be Senate Commerce Committee members' primary focus during a Thursday hearing on emergency alert systems, but it's likely other issues also will factor into the debate, lawmakers and lobbyists said in interviews. The committee planned the hearing in direct response to the Hawaii alert, which caused panic there Jan. 13. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in 253 Russell. The panel is just one element of the expected congressional scrutiny of the incident; a House Communications Subcommittee framed a planned Feb. 16 FCC oversight hearing as targeting ongoing issues with emergency alerts (see 1801160054 and 1801170050).
The FCC, FTC and other federal agencies were planning to continue to at least partially function in the short term after the start of a possible federal government shutdown that was set to begin at 11:59 p.m. Friday absent action by Congress. Senate Democrats said they had enough votes to prevent the Senate from invoking cloture on a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through Feb. 16 unless it includes a deal on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration policy. The House passed the CR Thursday sans DACA language on a 230-197 vote. A Senate cloture vote on the measure was seen as possible after our deadline. Lawmakers acknowledged before our deadline Friday that a shutdown was still possible but were hopeful there would be a deal.
The FCC, FTC and other federal agencies were planning to continue to at least partially function in the short term after the start of a possible federal government shutdown that was set to begin at 11:59 p.m. Friday absent action by Congress. Senate Democrats said they had enough votes to prevent the Senate from invoking cloture on a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through Feb. 16 unless it includes a deal on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration policy. The House passed the CR Thursday sans DACA language on a 230-197 vote. A Senate cloture vote on the measure was seen as possible after our deadline. Lawmakers acknowledged before our deadline Friday that a shutdown was still possible but were hopeful there would be a deal.
There were few, if any, early impacts to trade processing over the weekend following the federal government shutdown, trade association leaders said Jan. 22. Geoff Powell, president of C.H. Powell and the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, said by email he has "not heard of any issues at this time." CBP was scheduled to provide a briefing to industry leaders on Jan. 22 regarding the shutdown while legislators continued efforts to resolve the government funding impasse through a short-term continuing resolution. Congress is expected to pass a funding bill that would end the shutdown on Jan. 22.
Lawmakers in both houses are gearing up to scrutinize the false alarm about a possible ballistic missile headed for Hawaii that caused panic there Saturday. Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, told us Wednesday he's strongly considering legislation aimed at fixing faults in the emergency alert system. The Senate Commerce Committee is aiming for a hearing next week focused on the incident, two Capitol Hill aides said. The House Communications Subcommittee also is planning a to-be-scheduled hearing that will examine the false alert in the context of other public safety telecom issues. The FCC is investigating, as are Hawaii officials (see 1801160054).
Lawmakers in both houses are gearing up to scrutinize the false alarm about a possible ballistic missile headed for Hawaii that caused panic there Saturday. Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, told us Wednesday he's strongly considering legislation aimed at fixing faults in the emergency alert system. The Senate Commerce Committee is aiming for a hearing next week focused on the incident, two Capitol Hill aides said. The House Communications Subcommittee also is planning a to-be-scheduled hearing that will examine the false alert in the context of other public safety telecom issues. The FCC is investigating, as are Hawaii officials (see 1801160054).
The FCC is investigating a false alarm warning about a possible ballistic missile headed for Hawaii that caused panic there Saturday. The warning was sent as a wireless alert to cellphones in the state as well as by broadcasters and wasn’t retracted for 38 minutes. Chairman Ajit Pai said Sunday the FCC is investigating and called the false alarm “unacceptable.” Public safety officials told us Tuesday other that states are likely to look at their alerting protocols. Wireless customers got the following warning at just before 8:10 a.m. Hawaii time: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” The House Communications Subcommittee said Tuesday it plans a hearing.
Public safety and local government groups said the FCC should act on enhanced requirements for wireless emergency alerts. They are seeking upgrades that include improved geo-targeting, multimedia and multilingual alerting, and “many-to-one” feedback. “All of the organizations that have signed on to this letter appreciate the efforts the Commission and the industry have taken thus far but write today, in light of recent emergencies, to underscore the critical need for these improvements to be instituted no later than May of 2019,” the letter said. “Many of the requested enhancements have been under discussion for the last several years, some longer, and it is now time for action.” The Big City Emergency Managers, International Association of Emergency Managers, National Emergency Management Association, U.S. Conference of Mayors and National Emergency Number Association signed the letter, in docket 15-91.