Modernizing National Alert Systems – A Ground-Up Rethink with Inclusion at the Core

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This week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took a bold and necessary step forward by announcing a vote to launch a sweeping, ground-up re-examination of the nation’s alert and warning systems. This move is a key part of Chairman Brendan Carr’s “Build America” Initiative, aimed at strengthening the critical infrastructure that protects Americans during emergencies.

FCC Senior Advisor and Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Chief Zenji Nakazawa shared the update with a clear and focused message: the goal is to make our national alerting systems more effective, efficient, and—most importantly—equipped to serve everyone, everywhere.

As someone who has spent decades immersed in public safety communications, I’m pleased to see this initiative take shape. I am in full support of both the agenda item and its swift resolution.

Why This Matters

Modern emergencies are more complex, more frequent, and less forgiving of failure. Whether it’s a natural disaster, public safety threat, or large-scale disruption, alerting systems must now operate at the speed of trust—and across every communication modality available.

But to meet that expectation, we must stop thinking in silos. An alert can no longer be “just” text, “just” audio, or “just” visual. It must be natively accessible—ready to reach people regardless of how they consume information, and without requiring custom versions of the same message.

Inclusion Is Not an Add-On—It’s the Foundation

We must prioritize individuals who are Deaf, Blind, or Hard of Hearing by designing alerts that work across all modalities from the start. That means:

  • Text-to-speech
  • Visual displays
  • Haptic feedback
  • Braille output (via refreshable devices)
  • And even emerging modalities yet to hit the mainstream

It’s essential that we stop assuming one-size-fits-all. Instead, assume the user will acquire a device that supports the modality they prefer, and design alerts to be flexible and standardized accordingly.

This approach not only ensures compliance with accessibility mandates—it also prevents dangerous version-control errors, where multiple variations of the same message introduce delay, confusion, or contradiction. And in the middle of a crisis, clarity is everything.

One Message, Delivered Many Ways

By embedding accessibility directly into the message structure itself, we eliminate the complexity of formatting multiple outputs and reduce the risk of inadvertently sending inconsistent or conflicting information. This is especially important when the message is urgent, time-sensitive, and potentially life-saving.

An alert should not require interpretation. It should arrive clearly, instantly, and reliably—no matter who the recipient is or what device they’re using.

Moving Forward Together

Modern alerts must be:

  • Timely
  • Trusted
  • Inclusive
  • Standardized
  • Reliable

I commend the FCC and Chairman Carr for recognizing the need for modernization and launching this re-examination. Now is the time to build alerting systems that don’t just work well, but work for everyone.

As a passionate advocate for public safety, I look forward to supporting this initiative however I can and continuing the work of strengthening the infrastructure that keeps Americans informed and safe—no matter the threat, no matter the device.

🔗 Learn more about the FCC’s proposal here:

https://www.fcc.gov

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