Part of FCC Wireless Alerts Order to Take Effect April 29

The FCC is publishing in the Federal Register Wednesday a notice with effective dates for part of new rules for wireless emergency alerts, approved by commissioners in January (see 1801300027). The major parts, including requirements for more accurate geo-targeting of alerts, don’t kick in until much later. Effective April 29 is language saying carriers participate in the WEA program “in whole” when they agree to “transmit WEA Alert Messages in a manner consistent with the technical standards, protocols, procedures, and other technical requirements implemented by the Commission in the entirety of their geographic service area, and when all mobile devices that they offer at the point of sale are WEA-capable.”