FCC to vote on improving wireless emergency alerts

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote later this month on a proposal to enhance wireless emergency alert systems following a string of natural disasters.

The agency has not released details on the proposed rules, but Chairman Ajit Pai said providers who participate in the FCC’s Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) program will be required to “deliver alerts in a more geographically targeted manner.”

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“This would encourage more local officials to use these alerts during emergencies as well as lead Americans to take more seriously the alerts they receive on their mobile devices,” Pai said in a statement.

“More precise geographic targeting should also lead to fewer people opting out of receiving WEA messages,” he said.

The FCC will release the text of the proposal Tuesday, Pai added, and commissioners will vote on it at their monthly meeting on Jan. 30.

The WEA system allows officials to send warnings to cellphone users about Amber Alerts, White House alerts and warnings involving “imminent threats to safety or life,” such as severe weather or terrorist attacks.