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