MICHAEL T. McCAUL, TEXAS CHAIRMAN . eO & \\\S\JeCleaBecew BENNIE G. THOMPSON, MISSISSIPPI . C' 'ZSJ \ S RANKING MEMBER\'\~R'\ G fCC Mail RoOm 2..Lf7 ®nt 3Hun.llrt.llJll'nurittntlt OLnngrtss 1Il.§. ]f{ouse of 1!tepresentaUues QTommitteeon lIome1anb ~ecuritl1 lIl!Ias4ington. 11m 2D515 March 3, 2015 The Honorable Tom Wheeler Chairman Federal Communications.Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, DC 20554 Dear Chairman Wheeler: As Members of Congress charged with ensuring that the public is prepared to take action when disaster strikes.we are convinced that early, effective, and informative alerts and warnings play an essential role in saying lives. Accordingly.jwe urge YQU to takeevery possible 'action to ensurethat the public has every tool in the public alerts and warnings toolbox at its disposal, including access to FM radio through the activation of radio chips already built in to almost all smart phones. In 2012,'ceUular; carriers voluntarily began broadcasting Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) to customers in targeted areas to' provide notice' ofsevere weather' or other emergency conditions, America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency 'RespoIlse(AMBER) Alerts, and-Presidential Alerts during National Emergencies. We applaud the cellular carriers for agreeing to voluntarily leverage their networks' capabilities-to help keep the public safe. That said, while we agree that WEAs are an important layer to our emergency alerts and warnings capabilities, it should not be the only capability available to warn the public on smartphones when technology that could supplement WEAs exists. As you know, WEA messages are limited to 90 characters. Accordingly, the information that can be supplied in that space is limited. Recognizing that, the text of WEAs typically directs consumers to check local media for additional information. 1 In light of that directive, it is unclear to us why the radio chips that are already in most smartphones are deactivated, preventing the public from immediately taking the Very action the WEAsprescribe. Moreover, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Craig" Fugate, recentlyacknowledged: "A lot of our tendency to use streaming devices to be' dependent upon broadband capabilities are vulnerable ina disaster. ,,2 Administrator Fugate recalled thatafter the 2011 I For example, orer~cen.t, WEA'se~t to-customers in the Washington Metro Area read: "Tornado. Warning in thi~ area till :00 PM EDT. Take shelter now.Check.local media. - NWS:" , . 2 MlJ,ri,o'Trujillo, "FEM,,\' Adrhinistra~or Warns of Cellphone Vuln~rabilities Duri~g Disaster," The Hili (Oct: 20, 2014), available at http://thenili.co~/p61 icy/techno logy/22130 1-feina-adm lnistrator-wilrns-bf-cell-vul nerabilities-during -d isasters, , • r ( ;.; i,C' " earthquake in Washington, D.C., the cellular network became so overwhelmed by demand that it could not provide service and "[a]ll of a sudden your cell phone became a brick.,,3 FM radio, he said, is an important layer in providing essential information to the public during a disaster, and could provide critical redundancy if cell towers are taken offline." Finally, a study on smartphone battery life indicates that using such a device to listen to FM radio only - no data required - achieves six times longer battery life when compared to streaming the same local radio station over a wireless data network.' As we have learned in disasters from Hurricane Sandy to Hurricane Katrina, cell phones are lifelines. Extending the life of cell phone batteries is critical to those who have survived disasters, particularly when electricity has been knocked out and recharging the device is not possible. Virtually all smartphones are manufactured with a radio chip capable of receiving over-the-air radio stations.jmd ordinaryearbuds are sufficient to serve-as an antenna. Additionally, the required. software to enable the radio chip to work is available. In fact, we understand that the software is currently deployed on the smartphones from one major carrier, and that has been received well by the nearly 10 million customers who now have access to the service. We are concerned that not every American smartphone owner has been afforded the same opportunity - particularly given the important role emergency alerts and warnings play in public safety. Radio is a proven lifeline in times of emergency, connecting consumers to the information they need to stay safe. During times of emergency, it is critically important that Americans have access to broadcast radio, which would provide instant emergency, lifesaving information on-the-go. For the benefit of the American public, ensuring all mobile devices are broadcast-radio capable is a critical component of this country's safety and homeland security. To this end, we are asking you to do everything in your power to make certain that every American consumer has access to the FM radio chip in their smartphones today. Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to working with you to make certain all mobile telephone handsets are equipped with an activated radio chip. If you have any questions, please contact Hope Goins, Chief Counsel for Oversight at (202) 226-2616 or Arlen Weiner, Legislative Assistant at (202) 225-6416. Sincerely, BENNIE G. THOMPSON Ranking Member Committee on Homeland Security Ranking Member Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 3 DSlyer, "What to do When Your Cell Phone Becomes a!Brick," Radio and Television Business Report (Oct. 20, 2014), http://rbr.com/what-to-do-when-your-cell-phone-becomes-a-bricki. 4Id. 5 See table attached. These tests compare favorably with others conducted in Europe showing similar results. Comparison of FM radio listening with online streaming, showing up to 6x battery-life savings using FM ~--'~-~-~-~-----;-.-"'- --~ -~- -.....---------~-~~---~- ---;-";"---=----~~ :~; -c '-: 'USAGE _ _ AVG. POWER CONSUMPTION _ EXPECTED ~~TTERY LIFE __·~~.'I FM Radio 0.21 Watts - l.6.16 hf2 - - Spotify IP Streaming 1.32 Watts 6.04 hrs Pandora IP Streaming 1.01 Watts 7.90 hrs Tuneln Radio IP Streaming 1.27 Watts 6.26 hrs Source: SprintlNextRadio joint lab tests (on HTC One M8 phone in 3G mode running native FM app), July 20]3,