Following requests from emergency management organizations to modernize the Wireless Emergency Alert system, the Federal Communications Commission has announced a plan to do just that.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai proposed on Tuesday planned upgrades to the national alert system, which sends messages to mobile devices in a given geographic region in the event of an emergency or child abduction. The upgrades, which the commission says it believes will make the system more effective, are slated to go live by Nov. 30, 2019.
The rule change includes a requirement that all participating wireless providers deliver alerts to all devices within an area designated by the reporting agency, insofar as it overlaps with the carrier’s coverage.
