The FCC’s draft order that would create an additional alert code for missing and endangered adults will gain unanimous approval during Wednesday’s open meeting, agency officials told us. The item received widespread support from alerting officials, industry trade associations and indigenous groups. The final order is expected to have changed little from the draft version, an FCC official said. While the new alert code will be used for any missing person older than 17 with special needs and circumstances or who is endangered, abducted or kidnapped, it's aimed at addressing the rising problem of missing and murdered indigenous people, the FCC has said. Speaking at an indigenous women’s event Wednesday, Rosenworcel said the item will gain approval and credited Native groups for the proposal. “The action the FCC is taking next week is in direct response to a call sent out by Native communities after enduring a crisis of the missing for far too long,” she said. The code will be “a really powerful tool," said Loris Taylor, president of Native Public Media (NPM) and an advocate of the new code.
The FCC on Tuesday released a draft NPRM that considers consumer protections against AI-generated robocalls and two other items scheduled for a vote at the commissioners' Aug. 7 open meeting (see 2407160064). In addition, it released drafts of an order creating an emergency alert system code for missing and endangered persons and an NPRM on procedural updates to the robocall database.
FCC commissioners will vote at their Aug. 7 open meeting on an NPRM that delves more deeply into consumer protections against AI-generated robocalls, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Tuesday. In addition, commissioners will vote on an emergency alert system code for missing and endangered persons and procedural updates to the robocall database. Commissioners will also vote on an adjudicatory matter from the Media Bureau and an Enforcement Bureau item.
The FCC activated the disaster information reporting system for six Texas counties affected by Hurricane Beryl, a public notice said late Monday. The alert encompasses Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris and Matagorda counties. In addition, it activated the mandatory disaster response initiative for facilities-based mobile wireless providers in the affected area, which requires companies to allow reasonable roaming and cooperate in service restoration during disasters. Tuesday’s DIRS report shows 28.7% of cell sites down in the affected counties, and 803,501 cable and wireline subscribers without service. No TV stations were reported down, but two FM and two AM stations were listed as out of service. The FCC also issued public notices on priority communications services and emergency contact procedures for licensees that need special temporary authority. The Public Safety Bureau issued a reminder for entities clearing debris and repairing utilities to avoid damaging communications infrastructure. T-Mobile said in a news release Tuesday that it has deployed trucks and trailers equipped with Wi-Fi and device charging, and its emergency response team is at the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) State Emergency Operations Center in Austin.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency endorsed NAB's proposal for a software-based replacement for emergency alert system equipment, NAB and several broadcasters said in an ex parte meeting last week with Public Safety Bureau staff, according to a filing in docket 15-94. The filing said the replacement would make it easier to improve EAS systems with increased accessibility or multiple languages. NAB proposed the software replacement for physical EAS boxes in December 2022 (see 2306020064). The proposal would be voluntary and able to operate if internet or cloud connectivity is interrupted, the filing said. NAB and the broadcasters -- including iHeartMedia, New York Public Radio and Cox media representatives -- also told the agency they agreed with FEMA objections to an agency proposal to facilitate multilingual EAS alerts with prerecorded templates (see 2404100083). “The costs of the FCC’s approach will outweigh any minor, speculative benefits,” the filing said.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated a draft order that would require emergency alert system and wireless emergency alert participants to create and implement cybersecurity plans and broadcasters and cable companies to notify the FCC of EAS equipment defects within 24 hours of discovery. The draft rules would also require that EAS participants have contingency plans for delivering alerts. The order stems from an October 2022 NPRM on cybersecurity proposals for WEA and EAS, which drew industry criticisms that new cybersecurity rules would be overly burdensome and duplicative (see 2310300057). The draft order is “informed by stakeholder input” and “would reduce risks to communications networks, in keeping with a whole-of-government effort to establish cybersecurity requirements to support national security and public safety,” a release said. The item follows a recent trend at the agency of circulating controversial items without attaching them to open meeting agendas, thus keeping the draft version from being publicly released (see 2404010062).
The FCC Public Safety Bureau said in a report Thursday the Oct. 4 test of wireless emergency alerts and the broadcast emergency alert system appeared to be mostly a success, though there’s room for improvement. The report called for further FCC action addressing some of the problems uncovered. At the time of the tests, a Federal Emergency Management Agency official described (see 2310040071) them as “extremely successful." Based on survey data shared with the commission, “most respondents reported successful receipt of the WEA test message,” the report said: “The test also highlighted areas where WEA delivery can be improved, such as ensuring more consistent delivery and resolving issues concerning alert message audio tone and vibration cadence.” Meanwhile, “the large majority” of EAS participants “reported successful receipt and retransmission of the nationwide test” and “demonstrated that the national EAS distribution architecture is largely effective as designed.” The bureau found signs of progress compared with a similar test two years earlier. The message was received by 96.6% of EAS participants, compared with 89.3% in 2021, and the overall retransmission success rate was 93.6%, compared to 87.1%. The improvement is likely due to initiation of the 2023 test alert using common alerting protocol, “which introduced additional resiliency that was not available during the over-the-air-only 2021 nationwide test,” the bureau said. One negative was that more test participants reported equipment configuration issues and equipment failures than in 2021, the report said: “At the time of the test, approximately 23% of EAS equipment units, representing over 4,500 EAS Participants, were either using outdated software or were using equipment that no longer supported regular software updates.” Fully up-to-date gear had the highest receipt and retransmission rates. The Northern Mariana Islands, with a 20% retransmission success, and Guam, at 33.3%, had the worst success rates in the U.S. The bureau urged the FCC to consider rules “to improve the operational readiness of EAS Participants and Participating [wireless carriers], as well as ensure that EAS Participants are installing software updates in a timely manner and have plans for replacing equipment that is no longer supported by the manufacturer.” The bureau called on Congress to require all wireless carriers to support WEA and said industry can also take steps to make alerting more effective.
Five broadcasters filed for 21 new FM boosters to use for geotargeted radio, said GeoBroadcast Solutions in reply comments filed Monday (docket 20-401). GBS didn’t name the broadcasters but said the boosters are in geographically diverse markets, including Seattle; Jackson, Mississippi; and Fort Duchesne, Utah. “Our understanding is that more broadcasters will file soon,” GBS said. It told the FCC that interference safeguards for content-originating boosters that NAB and REC Networks proposed are “unnecessary or attempt to reopen technical issues already resolved in the Report and Order.” GBS also said the FCC doesn’t need to require geotargeted radio broadcasters to provide special notifications to the Federal Emergency Management Agency or other emergency alert participants. FCC rules requiring reporting to the emergency test reporting and state emergency alert systems already make that information available to FEMA and other EAS participants, GBS said. REC Networks said it remained skeptical about geotargeted radio technology and warned that it will hurt the radio industry. Content-originating FM boosters are “merely a way for GBS to take advantage of small minority broadcasters through their ‘zero up front’ method of financing the project” taking “minority station revenues off the top,” REC said. “Our bigger concern is to address the fact that FM Boosters provide absolutely no co-channel protection to incumbent facilities.” Minority-owned Roberts Radio told the FCC that the technology will create revenue for similar companies, but said the agency should eliminate EAS equipment requirements for FM boosters and allow more geotargeted content per hour. Increasing the three-minute-limit per hour to six would “double the effect of this opportunity, and still represent less than half the advertising time available on most commercial FM stations,” Roberts said. FM boosters used in geotargeted radio don’t need their own EAS equipment because they can repeat the signal from their main station, Roberts said. “Requiring program originating booster operators to install EAS equipment will impose significant and wholly unnecessary financial and technical burdens on the broadcasters that employ them.”
The FCC Enforcement Bureau denied a petition for reconsideration of a $25,000 forfeiture against Jupiter Community Radio, operator of WJUP-LP Jupiter, Florida, an order in Tuesday’s Daily Digest said. The original forfeiture order was issued for violations including failure to make the station available for FCC inspection and to maintain emergency alert system equipment. Jupiter appealed that order in 2022 seeking a reduction in the fine, saying that it was unable to pay and that it had addressed the issues with its EAS equipment. In April 2024, Enforcement Bureau agents tried to inspect the station but found it off the air, the order said. “An agent contacted Jupiter’s president to arrange an inspection of the Station’s facilities, but the president was uncooperative at the time and did not return the agent’s follow-up calls seeking access to the Station’s facilities to conduct an inspection,” Tuesday’s order said. Jupiter didn’t submit sufficient documentation to demonstrate an inability to pay, the EB said. “Coupled with Jupiter’s continued unwillingness to permit Bureau agents to inspect the Station, we find that the public interest does not favor granting the relief that Jupiter seeks.”
The FCC and Massachusetts will probe a 911 outage reported around the state that lasted at least two hours Tuesday afternoon. Meanwhile, the Maine Department of Public Safety said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is checking why people in Maine and other states received wireless emergency alerts (WEA) about the Massachusetts incident. The FCC is "looking into what occurred" in Massachusetts and "the reports concerning WEA," a commission spokesperson said. A Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security spokesperson said in a statement just before 4 p.m. that the 911 system was restored. The office sent its first alert about the problem at 2:22 p.m. It said that the state 911 department is “aware of a disruption ... and is investigating the cause.” The state advised residents facing an emergency to call local police departments’ direct lines. “We will provide further information as it becomes available.” Multiple local public safety agencies alerted the public via social media about the problems calling 911. “The current 911 system is down statewide,” the Boston Fire Department posted on X at 1:55 p.m. The Brockton Fire Department posted “Major 911 outage in Massachusetts” at 1:41 p.m. on the same platform. People in other states said they received wireless emergency alerts about the Massachusetts outage, including a Comm Daily reporter with a Virginia area code. The same Virginia-based reporter later received another WEA that said Maine's 911 system was fully operational and to disregard the emergency alert from another state. The Massachusetts "alert was sent to other surrounding states in error and is being investigated by FEMA," the Maine Public Safety Department said in a statement. "Maine 911 is up and running." FEMA declined to comment.