Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Sign up for Axios NW Arkansas
Stay up-to-date on the most important and interesting stories affecting NW Arkansas, authored by local reporters
Photo: EUGENE TANNER/AFP/Getty Images
The false alert Saturday morning that a ballistic missile was heading towards Hawaii was sent to phones through a system that involves multiple government agencies and wireless carriers.
Why it matters
What happened in Hawaii is the highest-profile error in recent memory involving a national system that has drawn controversy in the past. The Federal Communications Commission said Saturday it would investigate the false alert, which Sen. Brian Schatz tweeted was "based on a human error."
The facts
- Emergency authorities at various levels of government can decide to send the alerts. That agency was reportedly Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency in the case of the Saturday alert. The messages can be sent to phones in a limited number of cases, including "imminent threats to safety or life," when an Amber Alert is issued for a missing child and when the President sends one, per the FCC.
- Those alerts are routed through a central system at the Federal Emergency Management Agency to wireless providers like AT&T or Verizon that have agreed to participate in the program.
- The wireless carriers then send the messages to phones located in a specified geographical area.
- Authorities tap other alerts systems, as well. Officials in Hawaii also sent out traditional broadcast alerts with the false message about a missile.
The bigger picture
This is not the first controversy around the wireless alerts system. Officials in California drew attention this week when they waited to send an alert related to fatal mudslides. And in 2016 New York City officials sent an alert with the name of a bombing suspect, which some said could encourage racial profiling.
The FCC will vote later this month on changes to the technical aspects of the alert system — including tighter geographic targeting for alerts — with the alerts system under greater scrutiny. "What happened today is totally inexcusable," Schatz said Saturday. "There needs to be tough and quick accountability and a fixed process."