Carriers Could be Required to Submit WEA Performance Reports

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

As Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) celebrate their tenth year, the FCC proposes to strengthen their effectiveness through carrier reporting after each alert, similar to the kind of reporting that radio and television stations are required to provide for the Emergency Alert System (EAS). Currently participation in the WEA system is voluntary. However, Commissioners last Thursday voted on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, that if approved as proposed, would require carriers to provide public reports to the FCC on the alerts’ reliability, speed, and accuracy. From a National Weather Service warning about an approaching hurricane, to AMBER alerts that bring a child home safely, in the past decade emergency managers have sent nearly 63,000 alerts aimed at keeping the public safe and informed, note FCC officials. Continue Reading