Photo Courtesy of Android Central
According to Sen. Schumer, the FCC has approved an order to modernize the Wireless Emergency Alert system.
By Forum Staff
It seems the power of the pen is still mightier than the sword.
At least that’s the way it appears for U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer who successfully pushed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to finally modernize its Wireless Emergency Alert System (WEA), after the bombing incident in Chelsea two weeks ago. After the incident took place, WEA notifications were sent to millions of New Yorkers to help aid in the search for the suspect while he was on the run however the messages only contained text, advising recipients to search the internet for immediately expressed his dismay over the fact that the information provided to New Yorkers in the notification was limited because of a 90-character restriction which also does not allow for multimedia images or links.
Now however, those wireless notifications will now be allowed to include embedded URLs, which will lead directly to photos of suspects. Moreover, the FCC has increased the maximum length of messages from 90 to 360 characters, and it has put into place rules for better geographic targeting of notices, so that the right people will see them.
“The FCC is doing the right thing by quickly improving its wireless emergency notification system to match today’s technological capacities,” said Senator Schumer. “The Chelsea terror threat highlighted a major weakness in our Wireless Emergency Alert system…”
WEA is a public safety notification system which delivers geographically-targeted message alerts reporting imminent threats to safety or life. There are three types of alerts: 1) alerts issued by the President; 2) alerts involving imminent threats to safety or life (i.e.: evacuation orders, shelter-in-place orders, a terrorist threat); and 3) Amber Alerts for abducted children.
Since 2012, WEAs have typically been used to issue ‘Amber Alerts’ and severe weather warnings. However, there have been several instances in which law enforcement agencies have used WEAs to alert citizens in the wake of a terror threat.
Schumer noted that the Monday morning after the terror threat to Chelsea was the first time such an alert had been issued to track the whereabouts of a suspected terrorist in New York.
The message the WEA sent to millions of cell phone users in New York City was to be on the lookout for the suspect and advised readers to seek out a photo of him on the Internet.
New York City has always been on the cutting edge of using emergency public safety technology. And in 2012, New York City became the first local or state alerting authority in the country to issue a WEA message when ordering the mandatory evacuation of its coastal counties during Hurricane Sandy.
Last week, Schumer urged the FCC to finalize its proposed rules as soon as possible so that WEAs are quickly updated and brought into the 21st century. Schumer also urged the FCC to make sure the use of multimedia is included in the finalized rules. Schumer said that WEAs are essential and critical in the effort to keep America safe. Therefore, Schumer said, these notifications should be improved so that cell phone users receive the most comprehensive information available when their safety is potentially at risk.
