Skip to main content

Wireless Emergency Alerts will be longer, more specific, sent to more places

wireless emergency alert augmentation smartphone user
Tatsiana Yuralaits/123RF
Used for Amber alerts, natural disasters, and every other critical warning in between, the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system has gotten a nice shot in the arm from the Federal Communications Commission that looks to strengthen its capabilities in the face of new technologies.

Since WEA’s launch in 2012, messages were restricted to 90 characters. That can be a good number in certain cases, but the limitation was put in the spotlight earlier in September when New York City issued its first WEA message related to a wanted suspect. In that case, the WEA was on the lookout for one Ahmad Rahami, an identified suspect in the Chelsea neighborhood bombing. Even though the message included his name and age, it did not include other specific details, such as an image.

Recommended Videos

According to the new rules, the maximum length will be increased to 360 characters for 4G LTE and future networks. However, the wording implies that those on 2G and 3G networks will still receive WEAs with 90 characters. Digital Trends reached out to the FCC for clarification on the matter and will update accordingly.

The government agency also brought into the fold Public Safety Messages, a new type of alert that will list essential and recommended actions for folks in affected areas in order to keep themselves or their property free from harm. Other additions include sending WEA messages to “more granular geographic areas,” with participating carriers required to embed phone numbers and URLs in every WEA message. This allows people to click to see a photo of a suspect or missing child, as well as call the authorities from the message.

The new rules also mandate supporting carriers to be able to send out Spanish-language alerts. Finally, the rules promise to make it easier for state and local authorities to test out the WEA system, train personnel, and better educate the public about the system.

It is unknown when the updates WEA rules will go into effect, but seeing how the FCC already approved them, it should just be a matter of time until they are formally instituted.

Williams Pelegrin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…
At $100 more than the AirPods Pro, B&O’s new wireless buds may be a tough sell
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 3rd generation

Almost one year to the date, Danish audio icon Bang & Olufsen is back with the latest version of its Beoplay E8 true wireless earbuds. Now in their third generation, the elegant wireless buds are 17% smaller than the previous version for a more comfortable fit. But perhaps more significantly, battery life has doubled. In 2020, that was nearly an imperative given the state of the market (and their previous 3.5-hour playback time).

What hasn't changed for the E8 is the price: The buds still command a whopping $350, which is likely to give pause to all but the most ardent (and affluent) audio fans.

Read more
1More’s true wireless ANC earbuds are a preview of what’s coming to CES 2020
1more true wireless anc in ear headphones ces 2020 tws

CES 2020 is still a few weeks away, but we're already getting a preview of what's in store for us when we arrive. 1More's new True Wireless ANC In-Ear Headphones are a great example. It's the company's first true wireless earbuds to offer active noise cancellation (ANC), a feature that is rapidly becoming a must-have option for products that want to compete with the best the category has to offer.

But the True Wireless ANC In-Ear Headphones go beyond mere ANC. They're also the first true wireless earbuds to combine ANC with a multi-driver architecture, according to the company. That setup uses one dynamic driver and one balanced armature to produce sound that is good enough to be considered for THX Certification.

Read more
Everything you need to know about the OnePlus 13
Official OnePlus 13 product renders showing rear panel colors.

OnePlus is an excellent brand that offers powerful flagship phones at a great value compared to some of its competitors. We followed every rumor about the OnePlus 13 for months, but now it's here — and it's everything we hoped for. It might not be available in the Western market yet, but it will be soon.

So, what makes the OnePlus 13 so special? Here's everything you need to know about OnePlus' latest flagship.
When is the OnePlus 13 being released?

Read more