Some U.S. carriers had issues with the Emergency Alert System test earlier this month

Some U.S. carriers had issues with the Emergency Alert System test earlier this month،

Remember that piercing noise that came out of your smartphone speakers on October 4? It was the government testing the national wireless alert system. You shouldn’t have been surprised because we told you to expect it more than a month before the test. The shocking alert revealed the locations of phones hidden by some inmates in prisons and also led to the discovery of smartphones in Amish communities. The Amish are not allowed to own a modern technological device such as a smartphone.

We assume that inmates caught having a hidden phone ended up getting in trouble and may have had their “stay” extended. Members of the Amish community who hid a phone ended up being shunned, ignored, isolated and ostracized. But the test also revealed a few other things found by wireless companies like AT&T, Dish Network, T-Mobile and Verizon. All four wireless carriers broadcast the national test to their customers.

AT&T asked 1,000 employees to participate in a voluntary National Alert testing survey.

For the most part, all four wireless providers said everything went as expected during the test, except for a few fiber outages that delayed alert receipt in some areas. The four also noted that some Android devices had issues receiving the test. The carriers conducted their own reviews after the test. For example, AT&T asked 1,000 employees to participate in a voluntary survey to determine whether its subscribers received the test in a timely manner.

Carriers discovered some problems when the government launched its nationwide test alert on October 4.

In a filing with the FCC, AT&T wrote: “More than 99.3% of respondents received and reviewed the English version of the alert. 85% of respondents received and reviewed the alert within a minute or less. And 90% of respondents received and reviewed the alert within 3 minutes or less. less.” A fiber optic outage in Texas effectively affected the connection to 30 cell sites.

As the carrier told the FCC: “Cell sites serving twelve cities…in Texas were out of service when the alert was initially transmitted. Once restored, the alert would have been forwarded and subscribers who did not receive the alert. “The alert from the surrounding area or other providers would then have received the alert. This could have affected approximately 35,000 subscribers.”

T Mobile told the regulatory agency that it “…observed an anomaly among subscribers using certain handsets running Android R (11) or newer operating system (OS).” Dish said there were anonymous complications that prevented the alert from reaching some phones. Dish added: “Just as the test predicted, Dish discovered an issue, was able to implement some improvements, and is actively working to retest the system to confirm if the solution is operational before the next WEA transmission using the national alert. coded.”

The FCC would like Congress to require wireless carriers to broadcast alerts nationwide.

According to the FCC, the Oct. 4 test was designed “to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public of emergencies, particularly those at the national level.” The agency said it was working to improve the wireless portion of the system. It will also require carriers to support alerting not only in English, but also in the 13 most widely spoken languages and American Sign Language.

An exciting feature required by the FCC will require carriers to include maps in Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) messages showing the location of the alert recipient relative to where the emergency is occurring . FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said that while WEA remains voluntary for network operators, it should be mandatory.

Rosenworcel said, “These are significant changes to the wireless emergency alert system. These are the devices we have in our palms, pockets and purses at all times. Every operator and every device should be able to receive these warnings. This should not be the case. voluntary. It’s time to update the law. “An update to the law that requires wireless providers to broadcast the alerts would likely require congressional approval.