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.
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.
AT&T shut out FirstNet competitors in all 50 states plus two territories and the District of Columbia. FirstNet and the carrier secured their final state opt-in shortly before Thursday's deadline when California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) said yes, though the governor made clear he’s not satisfied with AT&T's state radio-access-network (RAN) plan. New Hampshire, which at first said it would opt out, reversed and accepted AT&T’s plan Thursday (see 1712280033). Three remaining Pacific territories have until March 12 to decide.
The Trump White House specifically mentioned 5G deployment last week in its National Security Strategy (see 1712180071). The mention is important as it's the first time the administration issued a policy statement on spectrum, industry officials said. They told us the administration’s decision to focus on 5G reflects concerns that next generation of wireless is still being launched and industry needs to be on top of security threats before they develop.
The Trump White House specifically mentioned 5G deployment last week in its National Security Strategy (see 1712180071). The mention is important as it's the first time the administration issued a policy statement on spectrum, industry officials said. They told us the administration’s decision to focus on 5G reflects concerns that next generation of wireless is still being launched and industry needs to be on top of security threats before they develop.
The Trump White House specifically mentioned 5G deployment last week in its National Security Strategy (see 1712180071). The mention is important as it's the first time the administration issued a policy statement on spectrum, industry officials said. They told us the administration’s decision to focus on 5G reflects concerns that next generation of wireless is still being launched and industry needs to be on top of security threats before they develop.
Three animal rights groups filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Dec. 21 in U.S. District Court, seeking an immediate response to a petition requesting a ban on imports of seafood from Mexico caught in nets that they claim harm the habitat of a Mexican native porpoise. Filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Animal Welfare Institute at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the lawsuit claims that U.S. consumers have contributed to the vaquita porpoise’s “precipitous decline” in population by “unwittingly” buying and eating seafood from Mexico’s Upper Gulf of California caught using “vaquita-harmful nets.”
"Incorporating device-based solutions to enhance [Wireless Emergency Alerts] geo-targeting represents a fundamental shift in the design and use of WEA -- from a network-based approach that disseminates emergency information across a wide area with minimal network impact, to device-based technologies that confine receipt of the alerts to a more focused geographic area that will likely have network impacts,” CTIA said it told the FCC Public Safety Bureau: This “fundamental” change will require new or modified wireless networks “and device standards and solutions, as well as new or modified technologies and practices for alert originators.” CTIA in docket 15-91 urged an “aggressive, yet achievable, timeline to implement enhanced geo-targeting.” CTIA said some member companies, APCO representatives, emergency managers from New York City and Harris County, Texas, and officials from the National Weather Service attended. APCO said there's no consensus on “timing of improvements and how they should be implemented.” APCO said the FCC should establish “straightforward minimum requirements” for geotargeting effective by May 1, 2019. It suggested a requirement that alerts not extend beyond 1/10 mile of a specified area’s boundary. “APCO agreed with concern over proposals to improve geo-targeting by sacrificing characters in the WEA message to specify the target area,” the group said. “APCO would prefer that methods to improve geo-targeting not entail a trade-off with other improvements to WEA.” The New York City Emergency Management Department said “existing level of geo-targeting is not sufficient as clearly demonstrated by the City’s use of WEA following the Chelsea Bombing in 2016.” The department "continues to strongly support these enhancements and encourages the Commission to adopt an implementation timeline consistent with other WEA improvements that are expected to come online in 2019.”
"Incorporating device-based solutions to enhance [Wireless Emergency Alerts] geo-targeting represents a fundamental shift in the design and use of WEA -- from a network-based approach that disseminates emergency information across a wide area with minimal network impact, to device-based technologies that confine receipt of the alerts to a more focused geographic area that will likely have network impacts,” CTIA said it told the FCC Public Safety Bureau: This “fundamental” change will require new or modified wireless networks “and device standards and solutions, as well as new or modified technologies and practices for alert originators.” CTIA in docket 15-91 urged an “aggressive, yet achievable, timeline to implement enhanced geo-targeting.” CTIA said some member companies, APCO representatives, emergency managers from New York City and Harris County, Texas, and officials from the National Weather Service attended. APCO said there's no consensus on “timing of improvements and how they should be implemented.” APCO said the FCC should establish “straightforward minimum requirements” for geotargeting effective by May 1, 2019. It suggested a requirement that alerts not extend beyond 1/10 mile of a specified area’s boundary. “APCO agreed with concern over proposals to improve geo-targeting by sacrificing characters in the WEA message to specify the target area,” the group said. “APCO would prefer that methods to improve geo-targeting not entail a trade-off with other improvements to WEA.” The New York City Emergency Management Department said “existing level of geo-targeting is not sufficient as clearly demonstrated by the City’s use of WEA following the Chelsea Bombing in 2016.” The department "continues to strongly support these enhancements and encourages the Commission to adopt an implementation timeline consistent with other WEA improvements that are expected to come online in 2019.”
"Incorporating device-based solutions to enhance [Wireless Emergency Alerts] geo-targeting represents a fundamental shift in the design and use of WEA -- from a network-based approach that disseminates emergency information across a wide area with minimal network impact, to device-based technologies that confine receipt of the alerts to a more focused geographic area that will likely have network impacts,” CTIA said it told the FCC Public Safety Bureau: This “fundamental” change will require new or modified wireless networks “and device standards and solutions, as well as new or modified technologies and practices for alert originators.” CTIA in docket 15-91 urged an “aggressive, yet achievable, timeline to implement enhanced geo-targeting.” CTIA said some member companies, APCO representatives, emergency managers from New York City and Harris County, Texas, and officials from the National Weather Service attended. APCO said there's no consensus on “timing of improvements and how they should be implemented.” APCO said the FCC should establish “straightforward minimum requirements” for geotargeting effective by May 1, 2019. It suggested a requirement that alerts not extend beyond 1/10 mile of a specified area’s boundary. “APCO agreed with concern over proposals to improve geo-targeting by sacrificing characters in the WEA message to specify the target area,” the group said. “APCO would prefer that methods to improve geo-targeting not entail a trade-off with other improvements to WEA.” The New York City Emergency Management Department said “existing level of geo-targeting is not sufficient as clearly demonstrated by the City’s use of WEA following the Chelsea Bombing in 2016.” The department "continues to strongly support these enhancements and encourages the Commission to adopt an implementation timeline consistent with other WEA improvements that are expected to come online in 2019.”