Legislation introduced by U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz, from Hawaii, and John Thune, of South Dakota, could improve the way the public receives emergency alerts.
The Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement Act introduced by the senators would be included in the annual must-pass National Defense Authorization Act, according to a news release from Schatz’s office.
The READI Act would ensure people receive more than one emergency alert on their phones, televisions and radios, and would explore sending alerts through the internet. That includes online streaming services like Netflix and Spotify.
Schatz said in the release that the false missile alert Hawaii experienced in 2018 revealed the need to improve the way emergency releases are sent out.
“When a missile alert went out across Hawai‘i in 2018, some people never got the message on their phones, while others missed it on their TVs and radios,” said Schatz, lead Democrat on the Senate Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet Subcommittee, in a statement. “Our bill, which will soon become law, fixes some of these issues and will help make sure that in an emergency, the public gets the right information — on their phones, TVs, radios, and computers — as quickly as possible.”
The Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts System already sends emergency alerts issued by federal, state, tribal and local governments via radio, television and mobile devices.
Schatz said in the release that the READI Act is “expected to easily pass Congress and be signed into law.”
The bipartisan legislation would eliminate the option of opting out of certain federal alerts, such as missile alerts, on phones; require active alerts to be repeated; encourage State Emergency Communications Committees to periodically review and update their State Emergency Alert System Plans; and establish a reporting system for false alerts.
Along with the READI Act, other bipartisan Schatz-led provisions included in the NDAA would expand the Amber Alert system to all U.S. territories and address the “rising threat of disinformation.”
