Media Contact: Tina Pelkey, (202) 418-0536 tina.pelkey@fcc.gov For Immediate Release What They’re Saying About Chairman Pai’s Wireless Emergency Alert Proposal Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International Chief Counsel Jeffrey Cohen: “I am writing to express APCO’s support for the draft Second Report and Order regarding the FCC’s Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) proceeding. The proposed enhancements to geo-targeting and alert message preservation will make our communities safer and improve public safety operations around the country. . . . Simply put, improving geo- targeting for WEA will save lives.” (Letter, 1/12/18) Harris County Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator Francisco Sanchez: “If adopted, it will be the single most important improvement to the nation’s alerts and warnings infrastructure in years.” (New Cellphone Emergency Alerts Could Target Areas As Small As Minute Maid Park, Houston Chronicle, 1/9/18) Portland, Oregon Bureau of Emergency Management, Multnomah County Office of Emergency Management, Clackamas County Department of Disaster Management, and Columbia County Department of Emergency Management: “On January 9th, the FCC took the first step toward making the nation’s WEA system achieve these readily available technological upgrades. The proposal by Chairman Ajit Pai to deliver life?saving alerts in a more geographically?targeted manner is both bold and necessary.” (Letter, 1/17/18) U.S. Representative Gus Bilirakis: “[T]his FCC action could result in real-time road closure notifications during a coastal evacuation or the alerting of people within a targeted range of a pending child abduction. By making the information more relevant to the target audience, we can significantly increase the effectiveness of this life-saving program. I am pleased to see the Chairman take this action, and I look forward to its consideration at the FCC.” (FCC Chairman Takes Lead From Bilirakis, Proposes Improvements To Emergency Alert System, Press Release, 1/16/18) U.S. Representative Pete Olson: “Pleased to see @FCC moving to improve our Wireless Emergency Alerts system so that officials can more accurately warn folks in emergency situations like #Harvey.” (Tweet, 1/10/18) U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris: “Timely emergency notifications on mobile devices can save lives. Enhanced geo-targeting of the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system would allow communities to more effectively alert residents of danger and give them more time to evacuate. We are pleased to see action on these concerns that we raised months ago to the Commission. The phones we carry with us everywhere we go have improved our lives in so many ways, they should also be able to alert us of an impending emergency.” (Feinstein, Harris Statement on FCC Draft Order to Improve Wireless Emergency Alerts, Press Release, 1/11/18) Washington, DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency Director Chris Rodriguez: “The FCC proposal rightly suggests that ‘geo-fencing allows mobile devices to compare their current location to the target area specified by the alert originator and display the Alert Message only if it is located within the target area.’ Public safety officials strongly agree that using the intelligence and location of the device is the easiest and quickest path forward.” (Letter, 1/17/18) ### Office of Media Relations: (202) 418-0500 ASL Videophone: 1-844-432-2275 TTY: (888) 835-5322 Twitter: @FCC www.fcc.gov/office-media-relations This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).