The FCC released a public notice Thursday seeking partners to test alternative technologies for wireless emergency alerts when cell towers are disabled during disasters. “The Commission is seeking partners to examine the feasibility of using complementary technologies, such as satellite service, to address this public safety gap,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel: “This initiative is the latest in our ongoing effort to strengthen the nation’s alerting systems, working closely with our government partners.” The Public Safety Bureau notice asks for responses by Dec. 18 in docket 22-160. “WEAs can provide immediate, life-saving information when a mobile device user is in harm’s way,” the notice said. “The utility of this critical tool, however, can be significantly reduced or eliminated when the infrastructure needed to deliver WEAs, such as cell towers, is damaged or disabled due to disaster circumstances.” The bureau said alternate possibilities include satellites, high-altitude platforms systems and drones. The bureau “seeks to partner with any entities that have a technology, method, or other solution for delivering a WEA to a mobile device when the device is not connected to a functioning cell tower.”
The FCC Public Safety Bureau and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency scheduled a public roundtable on emergency alert cybersecurity Oct. 30, said a release and public notice Monday. “It is critical that these essential systems function in emergencies and that the public can trust the warnings they receive,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in the release, which connected the event to the agency’s recent proceedings on improving emergency alerts. The roundtable will “build upon the record” of information gathered under the agency’s recent proceeding on emergency alert cyberattacks. The roundtable will include public and private sector representatives and include discussion of cybersecurity improvements in the alerting sphere, risk management frameworks, and incident reporting, the public notice said. “A more detailed agenda will be announced by subsequent Public Notice,” said the PN.
CTIA met with aides to FCC Commissioners Brendan Carr, Geoffrey Starks and Nathan Simington on tweaks to the wireless emergency alert draft, after meeting with an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel (see 2310100056) A vote is set for Thursday. “In its comments and advocacy, CTIA has urged the Commission to focus on providing actionable information to consumers, while not disrupting the underlying and purpose-designed system architecture or otherwise impacting the system’s highly successful performance,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 15-91.
Extended 911 hold times and insufficient staffing continue to plague the District of Columbia’s Office of Unified Communications (OUC), said D.C. Council members at a virtual hearing Thursday. The Judiciary and Public Safety Committee sharply questioned OUC Director Heather McGaffin on recent problems and the agency’s compliance with recent emergency legislation meant to enhance accountability and transparency. The committee also considered a bill to expand upon and make permanent the emergency measure.
The nationwide tests of the wireless emergency alert and broadcast emergency alert system appeared to go relatively smoothly Wednesday, according to early reports and interviews with public safety officials. Though Federal Emergency Management Agency and FCC officials and the agencies’ press materials said Tuesday that both tests were taking place at 2:20 p.m. EDT, the WEA appeared to go out at 2:18 EDT, which was the time listed on the August FCC public notice announcing the tests.
The Federal Emergency Management Association and the FCC will test the emergency alert system and wireless emergency alerts at 2:20 p.m. EDT Wednesday (see 2308180037), the agencies said in a reminder release and background press call Tuesday. During the call, senior FCC and FEMA officials said they don’t expect audio issues with the test's broadcast portion. They also said the WEA test is expected to reach hundreds of millions of phones. “The purpose of the test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level,” said the release. The WEA test will be received by all WEA-compatible phones that are switched on and in range of a cell tower during the 30 minutes the test is active, said the FEMA official. The message will display in English or Spanish depending on the phone’s menu settings, and be accompanied by unique tones, the FEMA official said. Users who are concerned the tones could reveal the location of a concealed cellphone, such as domestic abuse victims, can avoid the message by keeping their phones off while the message is active, the FEMA official said. The EAS message will be delivered through the internet-based common alerting protocol system rather than solely through the broadcast-based “daisy-chain” of several previous EAS tests, and thus should have improved audio quality, FEMA and FCC officials said. Both messages clearly say they're tests, and that no action is necessary, the release said. On the press call, the senior FEMA official pushed back on rumors around the test, saying it won’t knock phones and smart TVs off the internet. On the X platform, formerly Twitter, posts claimed the test will be used to turn the vaccinated into zombies, or is planned to coincide with a Russian nuclear test. The nationwide tests use the same technology and systems as the more familiar and local tests, and the idea that they're in some way separate may contribute to misunderstandings around the tests, said the FEMA official. He said it's not clear if the test would have continued if the test date had fallen during an ongoing federal shutdown, as appeared likely last week.
The FCC’s Oct. 19 meeting is packed, with items on 6 GHz rules, Wi-Fi on school buses, wireless emergency alerts, video programming for the blind and visually impaired, maternal healthcare and other items. That's aside from the NPRM on net neutrality, which is expected to grab most of the attention (see 2309270056). The meeting will be the first with new Commissioner Anna Gomez and the first with a 3-2 Democratic majority during the Biden administration.
The aviation industry raised concerns about an NAB-supported FCC proposal to allow increased power for digital FM, in comments posted in docket 22-405 for Thursday’s deadline. Interference from FM digital broadcasting at the upper end of the 88-108 MHz band” could disrupt the operations of navigation and landing systems and “present a significant safety hazard," said the Air Line Pilots Association, International in comments echoed by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), the Aerospace Industries Association and others. GAMA is in talks with NAB about the matter, filings said. Though comments in the docket show wide support for the FCC proposals from broadcasters, NPR, Cumulus and REC Networks also raised concerns about interference and notifications.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announces additions of Johannes Bauer, on leave from Michigan State University, as chief economist (see 2309210034), and Jonathan Uriarte, ex-office of Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as press secretary, succeeding Paloma Perez, who rises to communications director; and promotion of Will Wiquist to deputy director-communications, succeeding Anne Veigle (see 2309050069); and departures of longtime staffers Michael Carowitz, most recently deputy chief-Enforcement Bureau, and Tracey Weisler, senior adviser-International Bureau, who's taking a teaching position at Stanford University; Rosenworcel also announces Office of Economics and Analytics’ Lester Roberts as Excellence in Engineering Award winner for work on making emergency alert system more resilient and Media Bureau’s John Gabrysch as the Excellence in Economic Analysis Award winner for work in developing tools and methods for analyzing interference in the AM radio service.
The FCC activated the disaster information reporting system for eight counties in Maine and two in Massachusetts for Hurricane Lee, said a public notice Friday. DIRS Reports were due starting Sunday. The alert encompasses Cumberland, Hancock, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo, Washington, and York counties in Maine, and Barnstable and Nantucket in Massachusetts. The agency also issued public notices on emergency contact procedures for licensees that need special temporary authority, priority communications services and on 24-hour availability of FCC staff. The Public Safety Bureau sent a reminder to entities working to clear debris and repair utilities to avoid damaging communications infrastructure.