Low-power TV stations should be able to use to internet-based common alerting protocol (CAP) to send emergency alerts without “an expensive and outdated” emergency alert system box, said the LPTV Broadcasters Association in an email to members Friday. LPTV broadcasters “are told they are ‘primary’ to our viewers for EAS, our viewers depend on us for this information. Yet in just about every other situation, we are sternly reminded that we are of ‘secondary’ status,” said the email, which said broadcasters should give the association “input to move forward with a plan for LPTV that makes sense and serves the public with even more safety information than currently available.” The FCC’s recent cybersecurity NPRM cited results from the 2021 nationwide EAS test that showed low rates of participation among low-power radio and TV broadcasters and suggested that failure to maintain EAS equipment by some participants could be a security threat (see 2210270058). “There should be no reason that LPTV stations cannot solely use CAPS without a box,” said the LPTV Broadcasters Association. “It is our understanding that the National Weather Service does not integrate with CAPS, but they have other even more robust digital outputs that can be used. It’s time to bring this together.”
The FCC appears to be ramping up its focus on cybersecurity, starting with “a broad-reaching inquiry into the vulnerabilities threatening the security and integrity of the Border Gateway Protocol” earlier this year, said an analysis by Hogan Lovells lawyers Monday. They also cited an NPRM approved last week that proposes new rules to make the emergency alert system and wireless emergency alerts more secure. “FCC observers are … watching the FCC’s increased focus on cybersecurity for signs of whether it may extend the sorts of critical infrastructure regulations that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is developing for other industries into the telecommunications space as well,” the lawyers said: “The proposed rule regarding EAS and WEA may provide a clue on that question.” They said that, in comments on the NPRM, FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks “notes approvingly that the proposed rule aligns the timeframe for cyber incident reporting with the timeframe found in the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 (CIRCIA), which CISA is administering, and argues that the FCC’s ‘actions must be within the larger whole-of-government approach to protect our nation’s networks and infrastructure.’”
The FCC approved 4-0 Thursday an NPRM that proposes new rules to make the emergency alert system and wireless emergency alerts more secure. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said the rulemaking is one part of the FCC’s current focus on making systems more secure. FCC officials said, as expected (see 2210250057), there were only minor changes over what Rosenworcel proposed, FCC officials said.
A draft NPRM on proposals to increase cybersecurity requirements for wireless emergency alert and emergency alert system participants is expected to be unanimously approved at Thursday’s FCC commissioners' meeting, with few changes from the draft version, industry and FCC officials told us. The item seeks comment on proposals including cyberattack reporting rules and requirements that participants certify cybersecurity plans. No changes have been made so far, though a few tweaks are possible before the vote, officials said. Experts said they expect the agency to take likely costs of any new rules into consideration.
CTIA urged the FCC to take costs into consideration as it considers an NPRM on wireless emergency alerts and the emergency alert system, set for a commissioner vote Thursday (see 2210060062). “CTIA understands the Commission’s interest in continuing to examine alerting security and avoiding false alerts,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 15-94. “The Commission will need to carefully consider the costs and benefits of new authentication requirements,” CTIA said: “Developing new cryptographic standards to enable authentication capabilities would require a much larger investment of time and resources than what is currently contemplated in the Draft Alerting Security NPRM. Moreover, such requirements could negatively impact the timely and reliable delivery of WEAs.”
A draft notice of inquiry on 12.7-13.25 GHz portrays the band as potentially providing part of the answer to the wireless industry’s quest for more mid-band to refill the spectrum pipeline. The NOI was among four items Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated Thursday for a vote at the Oct. 27 commissioners' meeting (see 2210050065). Also circulated: a Further NPRM that would give two more years of life to the FCC’s support for wireless carriers in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands rebuilding after the 2017 hurricanes, an NPRM on emergency alerting, and a Stir/Shaken NOI.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel will seek a vote on a proposal to provide additional support for communications networks in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to make them more resilient, at the commission’s Oct. 27 meeting, Rosenworcel blogged Wednesday. The FCC will also consider a 13 GHz notice of inquiry and an NPRM aimed at making emergency alerting more secure. An item on Stir/Shaken rounds out the agenda.
Major wireless carriers reported a few glitches during localized, end-to-end wireless emergency alert testing Sept. 12-13, designed to assess the geographic accuracy of alerts (see 2208300046). Reports from AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon were posted Monday in docket 22-160. Carriers reported some problems during a national WEA test last year (see 2108260046). In the first national test in 2018, many alerts didn’t go through (see 1812210056).
The FCC's updated emergency alert system rules adopted last week give cable operators 15 months to complete the transition to emergency action notification text displays when that EAN change requires upgrading set-top box software and head-end equipment, said the order released Friday. The draft version of the order didn't include the 15-month deadline. "We find that 15 months is more than adequate to account for these software-related complexities, including any unexpected difficulties," the commission said in the adopted order. The EAS rules update passed 4-0 at the agency's September meeting (see 2209290017).
Hurricane Ian caused large wireless outages in Florida's southwest where the storm made landfall, the FCC said Thursday. The FCC report covered network outage data submitted by communications providers through the disaster information reporting system (DIRS) as of Thursday at noon. The FCC will monitor the situation and is "committed" to ensuring communications are restored, said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel after Thursday’s commissioners' meeting.