Don’t mandate text message warning for emergency alerts: telecoms

The majority of Canadian wireless providers who weighed in on a proposal to harmonize emergency alert tests told the CRTC that they shouldn’t be required to send text messages to users warning them of upcoming tests. Doing so creates confusion because while all customers will get text messages, a significant portion of phones aren’t compatible with the alerts and don’t receive them, companies including Rogers Communications Inc., BCE Inc. and Telus Corp. outlined. “In fact, based on feedback that we have received from customers, Pelmorex, and provincial government authorities, we believe that we should not send text messages to our customers before any visible tests. Such notifications create confusion because many customers cannot distinguish between a text message and a message,” Rogers said. The company added text messaging is an inefficient way to alert customers, given that sending millions of text messages “will literally take weeks” at a provider the size of Rogers. The companies were responding to CRTC questions following a Part 1 application by a group of emergency management officials who asked for a twice-yearly harmonized schedule for alerts on all platforms. Currently, the rules state that four tests visible to Canadians go out over TV and radio, but only one over wireless devices. Bell also said some of its customers were confused by text messages in previous tests. “If we were to send text messages in the future, those who receive the text message but not the test alert may incorrectly conclude that the public alerting system malfunctioned or is generally ineffective, which would reduce the public's confidence in the system,” it said in its reply to the CRTC. “As it is critical that all Canadians take the appropriate action when a WPA is issued the industry should avoid awareness initiatives with the potential to undermine subscribers' confidence in the system.” A number of the companies said that the measures they took to notify customers ahead of the Nov. 28 tests worked well. Some of those measures include notifications on social media, webpages, apps, and recorded messages on customer service lines. However, not all companies were against the text warnings, with Quebecor Inc. and Iristel Inc. telling the CRTC they had no problem with sending text messages. In an intervention filed with the CRTC Thursday, the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) told the CRTC there should be a provision in the rules allowing the cancellation of alerts in regions that recently experienced events like wildfires, floods or tsunamis. “In these instances, the public test of the system would be redundant, and could leave recipients traumatized,” the CWTA said.

Don’t mandate text message warning for emergency alerts: telecoms

Brief | February 8, 2019

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Don’t mandate text message warning for emergency alerts: telecoms

Brief | February 8, 2019

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