WASHINGTON—The House of Representatives have passed S.1180, the Integrated Public Alert and Warning Systems Modernization Act of 2015. This bill, which was co-sponsored by Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), previously passed the Senate in July of 2015.
IPAWS allows emergency authorities to create customized messages, authenticates them and delivers them to various platforms. The new bill is designed to boost and expand IPWAS, which delivers emergency alerts to multiple platforms—i.e. TVs, radios, cell phones, computers and electronic billboards—boost training and increase collaboration.
“NAB applauds the House’s bipartisan passage of this legislation strengthening the public’s access to important emergency warnings and alerts,” said Dennis Wharton, NAB executive vice president of communications. “As ‘first informers,’ local radio and television stations understand the crucial need for up-to-the-second information when danger is near. We thank the House Transportation & Infrastructure and Homeland Security Committees, and Senators Ron Johnson and Claire McCaskill, for their leadership on this bill and we support President Obama’s swiftly signing it into law.”
