FCC Crews Stationed In Los Angeles To Track Wildfire Impact On Telecommunications. – Insideradio.com
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Radio’s resiliency during a natural disaster has once again been on display in Los Angeles as wildfires continue to prompt evacuations and put lives at risk. No radio stations have been knocked off the air despite a close call last week at the Mount Wilson tower site. The Federal Communications Commission now says it has spectrum survey teams on the ground in the city at the request of state officials and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel says they are at work conducting an impact assessment on cellular communications in Los Angeles County as many of the fires have been in remote, hill areas where cell towers are located.
“This data is used to identify communications gaps, which informs emergency response activities and identifies where communications assets are needed,” Rosenworcel said Monday. She said the FCC has also issued several Special Temporary Authority to keep communications operational. “While communications outages remain minimal, the FCC will continue to closely monitor developments and do whatever we can to help ensure that residents and first responders are able to communicate and stay informed during this crisis,” Rosenworcel said.
The wildfires area also showing some limitations to the Wireless Alert System with an evacuation order mistakenly issued to nearly 10 million Los Angeles County residents along with some residents of neighboring counties.
The FCC is also looking into how investigating and finding solutions to how “echoes” of erroneous emergency alerts sent to mobile phones continued to land on phones across LA County, alarming residents already facing the horrifying effects of destructive wildfires that are still burning. The preliminary investigation has pointed to issues with telecommunications systems, likely due to the fires’ impacts on cellular towers. A software vendor that works with the county says it has added safeguards to its software.
“As we work through these serious issues and develop solutions, we want to emphasize that Wireless Emergency Alerts are just one part of the County’s multifaceted emergency notification system,” the county says in a statement.
