Transcripts For CSPAN2 Emergency Alert System 20180126 : vim

Better prevent alerts like we saw with the hallway Ballistic Missile warning earlier this month. Sharing state and local governments the safeguards to properly alert the public of an impending emergency is critical. Alerts not only create an unnecessary panic but undermine the integrity of the alert system learning to distrust and confusion. What happened in hawaii must be addressed to ensure an incident like that never happens again. It is essential americans have an alert system they can trust by and large, i believe they do. Theres much that is working well with the Emergency Alert system, its arguably a model of publicprivate programs operating as envisioned by this committee through the war in. Industry partners including those represented have been investing to improve the system and are working with government and Public Safety to carry out the mission. We serve certainly do not want to overlook the success but as recent events have shown, there are problems that must be addressed. Todays hearing will be the first to hearings on Emergency Alert systems, the near future we will hold the field hearing in hawaii to further address egypt january 13 false alarm and followup on issues discussed today. Since the early days of the cold war the United States has been building an alert system to warn our citizens. First from the risk of a soviet attack and later expanded to include natural disasters like fires, floods, tornadoes and do not. We have continued to build on the system to include amber alerts which seek the publics assistance on danger. Soon we will have blue alerts which can be issued when there is an imminent and credible threat to a Law Enforcement officer. From the beginning our Emergency Alert system would harness the immense resources of commercial medications systems, broadcast television, radio and eventually capable and satellite tv and mobile phone networks to reach the American Public as effectively as possible. Heres how the system works or should work. Our alert system relies on federal state and local officials authorized by the federal and state Emergency Management agency to decide when an alert is appropriate. These alerts are sent to fema. Fema received the alert and validates that it is from an authorized entity before forwarding it to the broadcasters mobile phone provider who in turn cellular out on television, radio and mobile homes in the affected areas. Communications commission regulates interface between sending the messages in a Communication Companies that deliver the messages to us. Ensuring that people get the information they need and if alerts are credible, the recipients is an ongoing process but it is fundamental that messages must be credit. Messages sent are like the hallway Ballistic Missile alert on the risk of undermining the alert system by reducing peoples confidence in alerts. While we do not want to prevent unauthorized officials from communicating alerts whenthey see fit, you must ensure that such officials are better trained. There are additional improvements we can undertake, for example there is no question the National Weather service is watch and Warning System they fly but it can be. That is why i included provisions in the Weather Research and forecasting innovation act of 2017 which became law last ring that require the National Weather service to use the latest behavioral science to improve its watch and Warning System. We should make sure that Lessons Learned from one incident inform and improve your alerts. The sec has taken steps to make improvements to the outlook system through the use of better geotargeting messages which is being considered as current proceeding. That is targeting messages to those who need to receive them and not sending them to those who dont. In this helps avoid alert fees and also addresses the concerns expressed by some local officials during the California Wildfires last year that an overly broad alert could result in trafficking jams with those unnecessarily leaving home and hindering the evacuation of those who really do need to leave. Here today the goal of providing timely emergency information to our community is also advanced by private citizens. Like those amateur or ham radio operators who help connected after crashes like hurricane harvey, irma and maria. Im pleased to welcome miss lisathe chief of the fccs Public Safety bureau , mister scott, Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and mister sam metheny, thats right. Metheny, thank you. Executive Vice President and chief Technical Technology officer at the association of broadcasters and mike was an, the representative of the amateur radio relay. Thank you for being here and i look forward to todays discussion and i will now recognize writing a Number Center shots for any opening remarks. And thank you too for speaking personally to the impact of this issue. You mister chairman. For many people in hawaii one of the most harrowing hours of their lives are just a few minutes after 8 am on january 13 2018. Cell phones across the state let up with a warning that a Ballistic Missile attack was imminent. The next 38 minutes both residents and visitors people were terrified as they scramble to get in touch with loved ones. I know , because i was home in honolulu that morning and started to get dozens of tax with screenshots of the alert asking me what was happening. Meanwhile, the hawaii Emergency Management area spoken to Pacific Command and confirmed there was no missile. Only nobody told the rest of us. People all may be relieved about the alarm, but they are also angry. All this was avoidable from the false alarm so do the serious mistakes at multiple junctures surrounding the incident. By a missile attack is federal a missile attack is not a local responsibility. Something like a missile attack should be side with the agency that knows first hand for sure in other words people who know should be the people who tell us. That is why am introducing legislation with that authority for missile alerts. And to be safe and informed look for to hearing from the witnesses and what we can do better. Thank you senator and we all look forward to working with you to make sure it doesnt happen with your constituents. Senator nelson is here. By the way i thought yesterdays hearing at the auto show was outstanding so if you were told a Ballistic Missile is inbound and our loved ones were spread out, what in the world would go through your mind . That is exactly what went through the mind of senator shots. Regrettably it is real and personal and he received the alert. And to that situation and that leadership that i will be here simply to support him in this. Nobody should have to go through with the full set of hawaii did but the flipside is we want to make sure there is a system in place if there is an inbound Nuclear Warhead people are alerted. When disasters occur americans relied not only on the Emergency Alerts, but also the 911 system. But the infrastructure is aging and has been left behind Congress Must modernize that 911 system as a National Priority that is why work with senator clover chart to introduce the next generation 911 act of 2017. I hope this is something we need a template to move ahead this is a good bill to start moving ahead on. Hopefully we can Work Together had to get done and specifically for the people of hawaii. We look forward to hearing from our panel this morning he will start with the chief of Public Safety at the fcc which has jurisdiction under Scott Bergman and the chairman of the Advocacy Committee from the board of directors and executive Vice President National Association of broadcasters. If you can confine your oral remarks we will make sure all testimony is made a part of the record but that will give us time to ask questions. Please proceed. Good morning chairman, Ranking Member nelson and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you the false Ballistic Missile warning issued january 13 by the state of hawaii was absolutely unacceptable. With widespread panic and what it took to correct the error nearly 40 minutes compounded the problem. Those mistakes were serious this damage the credibility of the Emergency Alert messaging which can be dangerous when a real emergency occurs. So that investigation is ongoing but based on ongoing information it is the result of simple human error. Second not to have a safeguard of controls in place to prevent the human error in the transmission of a false alarm. Sending representatives to the agency and other stakeholders the hawaii Emergency Management agency tells us it is working with the vendor to integrate safeguards into its offer change in protocol to require two individuals to sign off on the transmission of test and alerts. We are pleased with the level of cooperation we have received thus far but we are disappointed however that one key employee the person who transmitted the false alert is refusing to cooperate with our investigation. We hope that person will reconsider. Moving forward looking at ways to keep this from happening again local officials need to Work Together to do what is necessary and we also must ensure that shed a false alert occur a correction is issued promptly to minimize confusion to have timely and lifesaving information we must take our mom all measures and while the incident is present in our mind we cannot lose sight of those Emergency Alerts that enhance safety. The last five years refusing to issue over 33000 Emergency Alerts in california was used four times in those wildfires in Northern California and 16 times with the California Wildfires. Also with the hurricanes the commission has taken significant steps to handle those capabilities the Commission Adopted rules to enable wireless alerts to have more content and enable support in spanish. Participating wireless providers were required to target alerts that is affected by emergency all providers are now required to transmit to a Geographic Area it is the area affected even smaller than a county so to further improve the system the commission will vote on an order requiring wireless providers to target alerts with the overreach of no more than one tenth of a mile requiring carriers to require the alerts over 24 hours hours we look forward to partnering with professionals from your jurisdiction to use the public alert and Warning System during times of crisis. I look forward to any questions you may have. On behalf of ctia thank you for the opportunity to testify about the role of Emergency Alerts. Commending for the focus on this issue in the leadership over the last decade going back to the war in act of 2006 that created the wireless Emergency Alert program. That partnership with Public Safety officials. Since the launch it is a critical resource for hundreds of millions of american today serving more than 99 voluntarily participate in helping to locate those in danger they are deeply committed to have an effective resource for the American Public so the recent false alert underscores the importance of functionality and integrity and credibility of the system and with that in mind my testimony will address the vital role to play the ongoing efforts to enhance the capabilities and importance to maintain the systems integrity. A decade ago it was hard to realize the value now more than half of american households are wireless only we are a tool to reach those americans were ever they are. As part of a broader National System federal state and local authorities transmit messages to fema that authenticates and transmits wireless providers to messages to the targeted area. As determined by alert authorities. They do not control message content so to a particular area they are extremely effective for those directly impacted by an emergency. To help ensure everyone is aware of the Alert Wireless Emergency Alerts help to return objective children or have Severe Weather events and help Law Enforcement catch terror suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing and Chelsea Bombing in new york city. As we continue to expand to have the content they can send to consumers adding additional characters and downloadable content we support these enhancements because members are committed to the lifesaving success in the fcc plans to adopt in order to further target the geo capabilities given the expanding Public Safety message to support the geo targeting framework through innovative device based solutions and significant standards still need to be done to support this capability for this reason of that proposed timeline of 2019 but the Wireless Industry will work contently to do so. Finally the false alert underscores the Public Confidence to remain our highest priority. Originators must send you dishes and authenticate messages accurately providers must deliver to the targeted area. We commend them for the Lessons Learned and appreciated call for best practice. There are many Lessons Learned to demonstrate the capabilities and to authenticate the information. As part of the National Alert system. To maintain Public Confidence. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. As a member of the board of directors and to have approximately 175,000 members with those ham radio operators in the u. S. But there is a serious side far more than a hobby. With Emergency Communications with fema and dhs with all the emergency communication with the salvation army. And as much as we think we are sophisticated often times the one thing that is up and running at camino difference between life and death. And with those emergency communication the role played is on full display on 2017. And to make landfall this cause significant damage puerto rico and the Virgin Islands and then in the aftermath using Radio Stations in their homes to respond in large numbers. To the National Weather service and National Hurricane center. And then to provide restoration fema dhs or First Responders they saw health and Welfare Communications maybe were no other method was available they provided all those communications for the salvation army. With an additional radio operators equipped with Emergency Operation kits to help restore communications in the immediate aftermath. As discussed to have a multitude of other things and the teams are prepared in any emergency natural or manmade. May be highlighted under the hawaii for his work in connecting a maui family in puerto rico. To use that effective outdoor antenna from his residence to utilize the event of a disaster in now we. After the false alarm msnbc reported 90 of the people will be without communication and ham radio was one of the ways you can hear what is happening throughout the island whether or not people are okay or who is alive. While they rarely need anything from the federal government we must have the effective antenna to practice on our properties. The ability to practice our craft is being ready to perform in a crisis. We must have some sort of effective outdoor antenna. And then to be ready when disaster strikes if any outdoor antenna today 90 all new Housing Starts are under Deed Restrictions which. Amateur antennas. What they have done with the parity acts strike necessary ballots to install and in tenor and the ho a right to structure the placement. It is important to note that legislation since 2015 at that time the senator expressed