T-Mobile, Dish, AT&T, others report hiccups with emergency alert test

Results are in from wireless operators that participated in the federal government's nationwide test earlier this month of its Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs). Service providers including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Dish Network and others reported mostly positive test results, but some cited some hiccups such as fiber cuts that delayed alert delivery and issues with some Android devices receiving alerts.

Some of the wireless providers said they conducted extensive reviews of their operations to look for possible troubles. For example, AT&T said that more than 1,000 employees participated in a voluntary survey to determine the test's results.

"Over 99.3% of the respondents received and reviewed the English version of the alert. 85% respondents received and reviewed the alert within 1 minute or less. And 90% of respondents received and reviewed the alert within 3 minutes or less," AT&T reported in a new filing.

One problem that AT&T reported was a fiber cut in Texas that affected connectivity to roughly 30 cell sites.

"Cell sites serving twelve cities ... in Texas were off-the-air during the initial transmission of the alert," the company wrote. "Once restored, the alert would have been transmitted and those subscribers that didn't receive the alert from the surrounding area or other providers would have then received the alert. This may have impacted approximately 35,000 subscribers."

T-Mobile reported trouble on some of its Android phones.

"T-Mobile observed an anomaly amongst subscribers utilizing certain handsets running the Android R or newer Operating System (OS)," the operator explained.

Dish said it "experienced some complications that prevented the transmitted message from being received by some devices." However, the company's filing on the topic did not provide details about the complications.

"Just as the test intended, Dish discovered an issue, was able to implement certain improvements, and is actively working to re-test the system to confirm whether the solution is operational in advance of the next WEA transmission using the national alert code," the company wrote.

The FCC said the test on October 4 was "to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level." The agency also said the WEA portion of the test ran through FEMA's Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), a centralized Internet-based system administered by the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency, that enables authorities to send authenticated emergency messages to the public through multiple communications networks.

Additional improvements for wireless

In its latest open meeting this week, the FCC said it is taking steps to further improve the wireless portion of the system. Specifically, the agency said it will require wireless providers to support messages not only in English, but also the 13 most commonly spoken languages and American Sign Language. The agency also said it would require wireless operators to include maps in WEA messages that show the alert recipient's location relative to the geographic area where the emergency is happening.

"These are important changes to the Wireless Emergency Alert system," said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement Thursday. But the system remains voluntary for network operators and should be mandatory, she added.

"These are the devices we have in our palms, pockets, and purses at all times. Every carrier and every device should be capable of receiving these warnings. This should not be voluntary. It's time to update the law," Rosenworcel said.

Such an update would likely require Congressional action.