Apple, APCO, BlackBerry Concerned on Changes to Wireless Alerts, FCC Told
Smartphone makers Apple and BlackBerry and public safety group APCO followed carriers and other industry stakeholders (see 1603210037) in lobbying the FCC on concerns about proposed changes to rules for wireless emergency alerts. The FCC proposed at its November meeting to allow longer WEA messages, inclusion of hyperlinks and narrower distribution of alerts (see 1511190053). Groups and companies were called in to meet with the FCC in recent days, said filings posted Tuesday and earlier in docket 15-91.
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Carriers, not public safety, must be held responsible for parsing messages when content management system providers elect to transmit different length wireless emergency alerts, APCO said in a filing on a meeting with Public Safety Bureau staff. “In response to the Bureau’s question as to whether [commercial mobile service] providers or alert originators should be responsible for parsing a 360-character message into multiple 90-character messages, APCO noted that the CMS providers should be responsible for parsing messages as needed.” The group said public safety call center staffers are “focusing on response and recovery” during emergencies: “The more efficient the WEA process for the public safety originator, the more useful the platform as an important tool for mitigating emergencies.”
APCO said the FCC should allow inclusion of embedded content, including URLs and phone numbers, in alerts: “The current use of non-WEA messaging and alerting platforms by state and local agencies may provide useful examples of how WEA messages will benefit from embedded content.” APCO also said public safety should have access to information about alerts. “Bureau staff suggested that, in addition to whether a message was delivered and if not, why it failed to be delivered, additional information such as the percentage of successfully delivered alerts, what errors occurred, the latency of alert receipt on a device, and the accuracy of geo-targeting could also be useful,” the group said. APCO agreed.
BlackBerry representatives flagged potential issues, said a filing about a call with Public Safety Bureau staff. The company said devices will use a Wi-Fi network if one is available. “While this would reduce the burden placed on the cellular network, BlackBerry pointed out potential security implications of embedded references and the potential for redirection of the user to illegitimate URLs and rogue networks that could increase cyber security risks,” it said.
Geotargeting also raises concerns, BlackBerry said: “Latency can occur when trying to achieve an accurate position, (e.g.. it can be from seconds to up to a minute to lock position, depending on how far the device has changed from its last position and what location references/network assistance are required).” The technology used to achieve an accurate position for a user may mean more traffic on the network, “which may not be desirable in emergency situations,” the company said.
Apple representatives, also called in for a meeting with bureau staff, said iPhones don't have capability to parse a 90-character message out of a 360-character message “at the device level.” Apple also said “long alerts may inundate the user with information, leading to less user comprehension and increasing the likelihood of user opt-out,” said a filing. The company raised concerns about embedded links in alerts. Apple “suggested the Commission consider the possibility that numerous users simultaneously attempting to access embedded references during emergencies could overwhelm networks (such as cellular data networks and networks providing service to Wi-Fi routers) and web servers,” the company said. “In Apple’s experience, concise messages are more likely to succeed with users than messages that require readers to click through to a website for additional information.”