FCC Chairman Ajit Pai explains how the Wireless Emergency Alert system works. Transcript

COVID-19 Update

Enhanced Wireless Emergency Alerts Available for Coronavirus Pandemic

The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau has reminded authorized alert originators that the Wireless Emergency Alert system is available as a tool during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more (Posted 4/2/2020)

The Wireless Emergency Alerts system is an essential part of America's emergency preparedness. Since its launch in 2012, the WEA system has been used nearly 56,000 times to warn the public about dangerous weather, missing children, and other critical situations – all through alerts on compatible cell phones and other mobile devices.

WEA is a public safety system that allows customers who own compatible mobile devices to receive geographically targeted, text-like messages alerting them of imminent threats to safety in their area.

WEA enables government officials to target emergency alerts to specific geographic areas – lower Manhattan in New York, for example.

The Warning, Alert and Response Network (WARN) Act established WEA in 2008 and it became operational in 2012.

Wireless companies volunteer to participate in WEA, which is the result of a unique public/private partnership between the Federal Emergency Management Administration, the FCC, and the United States wireless industry in order to enhance public safety.

FAQs about WEA

Accessibility and WEA

Information on the Accessibility of Wireless Emergency Alerts to People with Disabilities

Printable Version

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) Guide (pdf)

More information

Background on WEA Policy