[EAS] Fw: WEA: FCC 7th Report and Order and 11th Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

[Edward.Czarnecki at digitalalertsystems.com]

https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-409409A1.pdf

What the Report and Order Does:

    * Empowers alert originators by requiring wireless providers participating in WEA to support WEA messages that do not trigger the audio attention signal, vibration cadence, or both.
    * Promotes flexibility and accessibility for consumers by allowing them to override suppression of the vibration cadence (and thus continue to receive the vibration cadence as a means of alerting them).
    * Promotes informed consumer choice by requiring devices marketed as “WEA-capable” to support all of the required WEA capabilities – including device-based geotargeting, 360-character alerts, embedded references, and silent alerts – and not just a subset of them that varies by device or provider.
    * Supports consumers’ existing devices by allowing those that are no longer considered to be “WEA-capable” to continue to receive WEA messages.

What the FNPRM Does:

    * Proposes to expand the use of WEA “Public Safety Messages,” which can allow greater customization by consumers, including silencing or turning off WEA during certain hours, to the extent these features are offered by their providers.  (What the FCC is proposing is broaden the scope of "Public Safety Messages" by removing the limitation of them being for imminent threats only.
    * Asks whether wireless devices should provide consumers with additional options to customize how they receive WEA messages - like silencing the attention tone or vibration.
    * Seeks comment on whether there are other steps that wireless providers, equipment manufacturers, and operating system developers can take to reduce the rate of WEA opt-out - seems that the first point would be at odds with this last point in practice.

Edward Czarnecki Ph.D. | +1 585.765.1155 ext 122