STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER JESSICA ROSENWORCEL

Re:	Amendment of Part 11 of the Commission’s Rules Regarding the Emergency Alert System, PS Docket No. 15-94; Wireless Emergency Alerts, PS Docket No. 15-91. 

	In January, the people of Hawaii woke to ominous messages flashing on their mobile phones, streaming in from social media, booming from radio stations, and lighting up their television screens.  These messages commanded all who saw and heard them to seek immediate shelter due to a ballistic missile threat.  They included the haunting words: “This is not a drill.”
But it was.  In fact, it was a false missile alert that went horribly wrong causing fear and panic throughout a state keenly aware of security threats in the Pacific.  

	In April, I testified at a field hearing in Honolulu organized by Senator Brian Schatz to investigate what went wrong and identify ways to make it right.  I joined the Director of Operations of US Pacific Command, the leadership of the Hawaii Department of Defense and other public safety officials to offer ideas to help prevent a false alert of this magnitude from ever happening again.  I put forth two ideas in my testimony.  First, I suggested that we set up a system for reporting false alerts, so we can learn from our errors going forward.  Second, I suggested that we use the filing of State Emergency Alert System plans at this agency to promote best practices and help halt the problems that we saw in Hawaii.  

	Today, I am pleased to see the Federal Communications Commission has taken up these ideas in this order by ensuring that Emergency Alert System participants report false alerts and seeking comment in this rulemaking on how to revise state plans in order to prevent future false alerts.  I sincerely hope we can conclude this rulemaking before we reach the one-year anniversary of the events in Hawaii.  In the order before us, we also adopt a policy to support live testing of the Emergency Alert System under specific conditions in order to improve training and public understanding.  In sum, today’s effort is good for public safety communications nationwide and it has my full support.