The PBS WARN Project
PBS and your local public television station play a crucial role in protecting communities by ensuring uninterrupted distribution of Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs), including severe weather warnings and AMBER alerts. This service is part of public television’s commitment to strengthening the safety of all our communities.
See PBS WARN in action! The map below shows all active WEAs WARN is broadcasting in real time.
The PBS WARN (Warning, Alert, Response Network) project uses PBS’s unique reach, reliability, and local connections across America to provide a vital backup path for the FCC's WEA system, which allows local, state and national government agencies (like FEMA) to instantly send short message warnings from geo-targeted cell phone towers directly to a nearby user's mobile device.
If a cybersecurity incident or internet disruption to a carrier facility breaks the primary connection to FEMA, PBS WARN's system provides an immediate alternate source of inbound WEA messages.
Mobile Carriers will benefit from:
- Reinforced reliability of the WEA delivery system;
- Resistance to cyber-attack and internet disruptions; and
- Low operation costs.
The WARN project is funded by a Department of Commerce grant through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
For more information, contact the PBS WARN team at publicsafety@pbs.org.