False Missile Warning in Hawaii Adds to Scrutiny of Emergency Alert System
- 6 years ago
False Missile Warning in Hawaii Adds to Scrutiny of Emergency Alert System
WASHINGTON — A false alert sent to cellphones across Hawaii on Saturday warning of an incoming ballistic missile is calling attention to an emergency notification system
that government officials at all levels say needs major improvements.
The Federal Communications Commission said it was opening a “full investigation into what happened”
when the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency sent the errant alert as a result of what Gov.
“We also must ensure that corrections are issued immediately in the event that a false alert does go out,” Mr. Pai said.
All wireless carriers participate in the system, and Hawaii’s emergency agency is among hundreds of federal, state, local, tribal
and territorial authorities with the power to use them, according to FEMA.
“Based on the information we have collected so far, it appears
that the government of Hawaii did not have reasonable safeguards or process controls in place to prevent the transmission of a false alert,” Mr. Pai said in a statement on Sunday.
WASHINGTON — A false alert sent to cellphones across Hawaii on Saturday warning of an incoming ballistic missile is calling attention to an emergency notification system
that government officials at all levels say needs major improvements.
The Federal Communications Commission said it was opening a “full investigation into what happened”
when the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency sent the errant alert as a result of what Gov.
“We also must ensure that corrections are issued immediately in the event that a false alert does go out,” Mr. Pai said.
All wireless carriers participate in the system, and Hawaii’s emergency agency is among hundreds of federal, state, local, tribal
and territorial authorities with the power to use them, according to FEMA.
“Based on the information we have collected so far, it appears
that the government of Hawaii did not have reasonable safeguards or process controls in place to prevent the transmission of a false alert,” Mr. Pai said in a statement on Sunday.