Washington – Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris (both D-Calif.) today released the following statement in response to the FCC’s draft proposal to overhaul their Wireless Emergency Alerts program. The proposal follows the concerns Harris and Feinstein originally raised following the deficiencies in the program revealed during the Northern California wildfires. The draft proposal will be voted on at the FCC’s Open Commission meeting on January 30^th.    

“Californians are still recovering from some of the most devastating natural disasters in our state’s history. Part of that recovery must include assessing what can be done to prevent loss of life the next time a devastating series of wildfires, mudslides, or earthquakes, strike. 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.”

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