The California Public Utilities Commission should ensure working communications during emergencies, the CPUC Public Advocates Office (PAO) said in a Tuesday motion in docket R.18-03-011. The commission should require communications providers to ensure that calls and data are transmitted without delay in emergencies, install backup generators or battery power at wireless facilities in areas with high fire risk, develop plans for alternative methods to support 911 centers, and enhance their emergency alert and warning systems, the office said. “Californians deserve access to reliable telephone services, especially during emergency situations,” said PAO Director Elizabeth Echols. “Given the danger posed by wildfires and other natural disasters in California, now is the time to establish essential public safety and consumer protection standards to ensure that communication systems are available and reliable in emergency situations.” The office participated Monday at a CPUC communications forum (see 1905200052).
The Assembly passed a proposed tweak to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) changing a requirement that businesses give consumers two or more ways to submit information requests. Members voted 73-0 Monday to send to the Senate AB-1564, under which businesses would be required to give either a toll-free number or an email and physical address, plus a web form if it has a website, for consumer information requests. The Assembly amended but left pending AB-1138, which would prohibit social media sites from allowing children under 13 to sign up without parental consent. The amendment would let companies use any FTC-verified method to comply. The Senate Appropriations Committee placed another privacy bill (SB-564) in the committee suspense file. The bill lays out when an individual has a cause of action against someone who distributes sexually explicit material depicting the person, and related procedures and requirements. The committee plans to weigh that and Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s (D) proposed tweaks to CCPA (SB-561) at a Thursday hearing. The committee also Monday placed on suspense SB-603, a bill to authorize a small independent phone corporation to initiate a rate case at the California Public Utilities Commission through either an advice letter or application. The Assembly unanimously passed AB-956 Monday to clarify automatic dialing devices may be used once a year to test 911 for data accuracy and emergency alert capabilities. It would let phone companies share personal information without prior consent for the purpose of issuing an emergency alert or testing the alert system.
The FCC Public Safety Bureau approved a waiver allowing the Denver Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to do an end-to-end wireless emergency alert test. The proposed test will be May 8, starting at 11 a.m. MDT, with a backup date of May 16, said a bureau order Wednesday. “In light of the threat of tornados and the coordination with the annual test of the outdoor warning siren system, we are persuaded by the Denver OEM … that the proposed WEA test will help educate the public about WEA and improve the proficiency of Denver OEM in sending a WEA message in coordination with alerts distributed via the outdoor public warning system,” the bureau said: “We are also persuaded that the proposed end-to-end test of WEA has value now.” The bureau imposed conditions, including a “comprehensive multimedia campaign” to alert the public about the test before it occurs. The District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency sought a waiver for commercial mobile service carriers to do a live WEA test at the National Mall at 11 a.m. June 22, with a backup date of June 23. The District’s third WEA test is to prepare for the July 4 celebration that’s expected to include President Donald Trump, said D.C. “If the President participates, the District of Columbia anticipates increased attendance and, potentially, counter protests or demonstrations.” The test message is to read, “This is a test of the District of Columbia Wireless Emergency Alert. No action is required.”
California lawmakers moved a cavalcade of privacy bills, including several tweaking last year’s California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), in hearings this week. The Assembly Appropriations panel Wednesday unanimously cleared three without discussion. No members voted against five privacy bills, or two other bills on wireless data throttling of public safety users and e-commerce marketplace transparency, at a Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee hearing Tuesday.
The FCC Public Safety Bureau plans a workshop on “multilingual emergency alerting to meet community needs,” June 28, said a public notice Tuesday. It will include presentations on multilingual capabilities of the emergency alert system and wireless emergency alerts, “alternative methods for delivering emergency information to the non-English speaking public,” and examples of these systems in use, the PN said. It's 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. in the Commission Meeting Room. Multilingual alerting remains in an early stage (see 1904240021).
CTIA raised concerns about two California bills responding to controversial incidents involving wireless carriers: Verizon throttling traffic of Santa Clara County firefighters during the Mendocino Complex Fire last year (see 1808220059) and carriers selling customers’ real-time data location (see 1904180056). But at a Wednesday hearing, the Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee widely supported both measures. The panel also supported a bill to require text-to-911 across the state.
On Thursday morning, subscribers to Communications Daily will receive by email a Special Report on Emergency Communications. In it, six articles will examine challenges of modernizing systems like 911 and the emergency alert system, and other hurdles to further improving public safety. The articles discuss what localities, states and the FCC are doing to help address 911 fee diversion, false public alerts and other public safety issues. And some unusual FCC practices, like issuing public safety-related documents late in the day, are examined. The Special Report also will be posted for subscribers on www.communicationsdaily.com.
Government responses to the January 2018 false missile emergency alert in Hawaii (see 1801160054) resulted in fixes, but there's room for improvement, said emergency communications officials and lawyers in interviews. The false alarm drew scrutiny from the FCC, Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Hawaii agencies (see 1804110064). Some are pushing to bring back legislation filed last Congress to address some of the issues identified in reviews of the incident. Telecom-focused lawmakers said they're considering just that.
Government responses to the January 2018 false missile emergency alert in Hawaii (see 1801160054) resulted in fixes, but there's room for improvement, said emergency communications officials and lawyers in interviews. The false alarm drew scrutiny from the FCC, Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Hawaii agencies (see 1804110064). Some are pushing to bring back legislation filed last Congress to address some of the issues identified in reviews of the incident. Telecom-focused lawmakers said they're considering just that.
The FCC routinely released public safety and emergency communications documents in the evening, outside the time frame that experts recommend. This trend, seen on many other issues at the commission over more than a decade, possibly deprived stakeholders from being fully and timely informed on important issues. From Jan. 1, 2018, until Oct. 25, when Communications Daily filed a Freedom of Information Act request and the practice ceased, four such items were made public later than 5:30 p.m. Eastern when the commission's business hours end. That's according to results from the FOIA request and our database.