On September 29, APCO filed reply comments urging the Federal Communications Commission to prioritize two improvements essential to effective public alerting: (1) ensuring that alerts are authentic and validated, thereby eliminating or significantly reducing the risk of false alerts resulting from unauthorized or invalid transmissions; and (2) tightening geotargeting so that alerts are only received by those for whom they are intended and relevant. The filing responds to the FCC’s comprehensive review of the Emergency Alert System (EAS), which delivers alerts through television and radio, and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), which reach mobile phones. EAS and WEA save lives by delivering timely, actionable warnings to people affected by emergencies, but alerts save lives only when the people who need them receive them and trust them enough to take protective action. To strengthen authentication, APCO supported measures such as requiring EAS participants to reject alerts that lack a valid digital signature. To improve geotargeting, APCO supported greater use of detailed location information, partial-county alerting, and careful consideration of eliminating exceptions to WEA geotargeting requirements. Together, these improvements would preserve public trust, reduce irrelevant alerts and alert fatigue, and help ensure that people receive timely, actionable warnings during emergencies.
