The FCC has adopted a Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) aimed at making Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) more effective for public safety officials. The action will provide alert originators with the flexibility to send silent WEA. Wireless providers that participate in WEA will be required to enable alert originators to send alerts that do not trigger the audio attention signal, vibration cadence, or both. Additionally, devices marketed as “WEA-capable” will be required to support all the required WEA capabilities, including device-based geotargeting, 360-character alerts, embedded references, and silent alerts.
In the FNPRM, the FCC is seeking comment on additional ways to reduce the number of consumers opting out of WEA.
