FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has shared with her fellow commissioners draft final rules that, if adopted, would strengthen the security of the nation’s public alert and warning systems — Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and the Emergency Alert System (EAS) — against emerging cybersecurity threats.
WEA messages deliver warnings to consumers’ wireless phones. The EAS delivers warnings to the public through broadcast radio and television stations, cable systems, direct broadcast satellite, satellite digital audio radio service, digital audio broadcasting systems, and wireline video systems. If adopted by a vote of the full Commission, the draft rules would require communications providers that participate in these systems to create, update, and implement cybersecurity risk management plans.
The rules would also require EAS participants to notify the Commission of equipment defects within 24 hours of discovery. The FCC says this would give the Commission greater awareness of system availability and help identify persistent technical problems in this equipment. The rules would also ensure that EAS participants have contingency plans for delivering alerts to the public.
The Department of Homeland Security urged regulators last week to ensure that owners and operators of communications networks and other U.S. critical infrastructure are implementing controls to improve their security and resilience to cybersecurity threats, including through the establishment of minimum cybersecurity requirements.
In October 2022, the Commission sought comments on proposals to improve the cybersecurity of the nation’s emergency alert systems in response to various security lapses and incidents. In October 2023, the Commission and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency co-hosted a public roundtable on alerting cybersecurity. The draft final rules are informed by this input. The FCC says they’re also in keeping with a whole-of-government effort to establish cybersecurity requirements to support national security and public safety.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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