Wireless Emergency Alert Updates Delayed

Today was the deadline for wireless emergency alerts (WEA) to feature enhanced alerting support, but the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has informed the Federal Communications Commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau that the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) will not be able to support updates to WEAs at this time, the FCC said in a statement. WEAs are authenticated, validated, and delivered to participating commercial wireless service providers. “The bureau will issue a Public Notice announcing when IPAWS is available to fully support these WEA enhancements and providing further guidance on their use,” the FCC statement said.