SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
In response to Pai's announcement that he is launching a probe of the Hawaii incident, commentators warned that--as with the internet--Pai's investigation could ultimately come to the conclusion that emergency testing systems should be handed over to telecom giants. (Photo: The Daily Caller)
Will Ajit Pai's FCC Probe into Hawaii False Alarm Expose Role Telecom Giants Played in Blocking Emergency System Upgrades?
Pai's claim that lack of "safeguards" is responsible for the false alert comes as he is working to dismantle rules safeguarding the internet from corporate manipulation
Jan 15, 2018
In a statement released shortly following the false ballistic missile alarm that sparked panic in Hawaii on Sunday, FCC chair Ajit Pai placed blame for the incident on the state's lack of "reasonable safeguards"--while failing to mention that it was telecom giants, including his former employer Verizon, that played a specific and outsized role in preventing the implementation of several key safeguards.
"The false emergency alert sent yesterday in Hawaii was absolutely unacceptable," Pai said, announcing his agency has launched a full investigation. "Moving forward, we will focus on what steps need to be taken to prevent a similar incident from happening again. Federal, state, and local officials throughout the country need to work together to identify any vulnerabilities to false alerts and do what's necessary to fix them."
As Vice's Jason Koebler reported on Saturday, one of the main barriers blocking some "reasonable safeguards" supported by public safety officials is the telecommunications industry, which has lobbied relentlessly against upgrading components of the nation's emergency alert systems for years.
The FCC in September 2016 "enacted new rules" that require "telecom companies to increase maximum message length from 90 to 360 characters, allow for clickable phone numbers and web links, and picture or videos, and improve the system's geotargeting," Koebler notes. "Crucially in this case, the new regulations require telecom companies to offer a testing system for local and state alert originators, but because of lobbying by Verizon and CTIA (a wireless telecom trade group), this specific regulation does not go into effect until March 2019, 30 months after the regulations were adopted."
In response to Pai's announcement that he is launching a probe of the Hawaii incident, commentators warned that--as with the internet--Pai's investigation could ultimately come to the conclusion that emergency testing systems should be handed over to telecom giants.
Perhaps you should ban alert neutrality. Make sure that only certain people can get alerts. Make others pay more to get the alerts. The most important alert is what you are doing to this country. You, Ajit Pai, are the biggest threat we face.
-- Jim Samuel (@jwsamuel) January 13, 2018
\u201cPut Comcast in charge of text alerts. Throttle 'em down to 1 per month. 29 days of silence, then, "Pay your bill or everybody dies." https://t.co/7cXa3NsCyV\u201d— man it\u2019s a hot zone, (@man it\u2019s a hot zone,) 1515873793
\u201c"In response I will be allowing all ISPs to charge users for access to emergency notifications" https://t.co/aJ9I74zLHP\u201d— Eric Schultz (@Eric Schultz) 1515880352
Why Your Ongoing Support Is Essential
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your support. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
In a statement released shortly following the false ballistic missile alarm that sparked panic in Hawaii on Sunday, FCC chair Ajit Pai placed blame for the incident on the state's lack of "reasonable safeguards"--while failing to mention that it was telecom giants, including his former employer Verizon, that played a specific and outsized role in preventing the implementation of several key safeguards.
"The false emergency alert sent yesterday in Hawaii was absolutely unacceptable," Pai said, announcing his agency has launched a full investigation. "Moving forward, we will focus on what steps need to be taken to prevent a similar incident from happening again. Federal, state, and local officials throughout the country need to work together to identify any vulnerabilities to false alerts and do what's necessary to fix them."
As Vice's Jason Koebler reported on Saturday, one of the main barriers blocking some "reasonable safeguards" supported by public safety officials is the telecommunications industry, which has lobbied relentlessly against upgrading components of the nation's emergency alert systems for years.
The FCC in September 2016 "enacted new rules" that require "telecom companies to increase maximum message length from 90 to 360 characters, allow for clickable phone numbers and web links, and picture or videos, and improve the system's geotargeting," Koebler notes. "Crucially in this case, the new regulations require telecom companies to offer a testing system for local and state alert originators, but because of lobbying by Verizon and CTIA (a wireless telecom trade group), this specific regulation does not go into effect until March 2019, 30 months after the regulations were adopted."
In response to Pai's announcement that he is launching a probe of the Hawaii incident, commentators warned that--as with the internet--Pai's investigation could ultimately come to the conclusion that emergency testing systems should be handed over to telecom giants.
Perhaps you should ban alert neutrality. Make sure that only certain people can get alerts. Make others pay more to get the alerts. The most important alert is what you are doing to this country. You, Ajit Pai, are the biggest threat we face.
-- Jim Samuel (@jwsamuel) January 13, 2018
\u201cPut Comcast in charge of text alerts. Throttle 'em down to 1 per month. 29 days of silence, then, "Pay your bill or everybody dies." https://t.co/7cXa3NsCyV\u201d— man it\u2019s a hot zone, (@man it\u2019s a hot zone,) 1515873793
\u201c"In response I will be allowing all ISPs to charge users for access to emergency notifications" https://t.co/aJ9I74zLHP\u201d— Eric Schultz (@Eric Schultz) 1515880352
In a statement released shortly following the false ballistic missile alarm that sparked panic in Hawaii on Sunday, FCC chair Ajit Pai placed blame for the incident on the state's lack of "reasonable safeguards"--while failing to mention that it was telecom giants, including his former employer Verizon, that played a specific and outsized role in preventing the implementation of several key safeguards.
"The false emergency alert sent yesterday in Hawaii was absolutely unacceptable," Pai said, announcing his agency has launched a full investigation. "Moving forward, we will focus on what steps need to be taken to prevent a similar incident from happening again. Federal, state, and local officials throughout the country need to work together to identify any vulnerabilities to false alerts and do what's necessary to fix them."
As Vice's Jason Koebler reported on Saturday, one of the main barriers blocking some "reasonable safeguards" supported by public safety officials is the telecommunications industry, which has lobbied relentlessly against upgrading components of the nation's emergency alert systems for years.
The FCC in September 2016 "enacted new rules" that require "telecom companies to increase maximum message length from 90 to 360 characters, allow for clickable phone numbers and web links, and picture or videos, and improve the system's geotargeting," Koebler notes. "Crucially in this case, the new regulations require telecom companies to offer a testing system for local and state alert originators, but because of lobbying by Verizon and CTIA (a wireless telecom trade group), this specific regulation does not go into effect until March 2019, 30 months after the regulations were adopted."
In response to Pai's announcement that he is launching a probe of the Hawaii incident, commentators warned that--as with the internet--Pai's investigation could ultimately come to the conclusion that emergency testing systems should be handed over to telecom giants.
Perhaps you should ban alert neutrality. Make sure that only certain people can get alerts. Make others pay more to get the alerts. The most important alert is what you are doing to this country. You, Ajit Pai, are the biggest threat we face.
-- Jim Samuel (@jwsamuel) January 13, 2018
\u201cPut Comcast in charge of text alerts. Throttle 'em down to 1 per month. 29 days of silence, then, "Pay your bill or everybody dies." https://t.co/7cXa3NsCyV\u201d— man it\u2019s a hot zone, (@man it\u2019s a hot zone,) 1515873793
\u201c"In response I will be allowing all ISPs to charge users for access to emergency notifications" https://t.co/aJ9I74zLHP\u201d— Eric Schultz (@Eric Schultz) 1515880352
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.