FCC sets November 2019 deadline for more precise targeting of wireless emergency alert system

Wireless providers taking part in the wireless emergency alerts (WEA) system will be required to deliver notification more precisely to geographical areas that are affected by the warning under action taken by the FCC on Tuesday.

The FCC will require participating wireless carriers to target affected areas with no more than one-tenth of a mile of deviation beginning in November 2019. Additionally, consumers will be able to access alerts on their mobile devices for 24 hours after issuance, unless they delete the message.

The FCC unveiled its proposal to revamp the WEA system earlier in January, and FCC commissioners acted on it during an open meeting on Tuesday.

“The most important feature of this proposal is the requirement that wireless carriers participating in the wireless emergency alert program deliver alerts in a more geographically targeted manner,” FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai said last month. “Emergency officials across America have told the FCC how important it is to better pinpoint these alerts to impacted communities. 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. More precise geographic targeting should also lead to fewer people opting out of receiving WEA messages.”

Established under the Warning, Alert and Response Network (WARN) Act, the WEA system has been used to issue more than 30,000 alerts since it became operational in 2012.