FCC commissioner: We will investigate Hawaii missile false alarm

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced Saturday that it will begin an investigation into a false alarm from U.S. Pacific Command claiming a ballistic missile was headed to Hawaii.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said in a statement Saturday afternoon that the FCC would fully investigate why the initial message was sent and was left uncorrected for nearly 40 minutes, sending residents into a panic.

“The FCC has begun a full investigation into the FALSE missile alert in Hawaii,” Carr said, retweeting a similar message from FCC chief of staff Matthew Berry.

The FCC has begun a full investigation into the FALSE missile alert in Hawaii. https://t.co/1NRw1vgqpn

— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) January 13, 2018

Minutes later, an official statement from the FCC’s director of media relations confirmed the investigation.

“The FCC is aware of the situation in Hawaii and launching a full investigation into what happened,” Brian Hart said in an emailed statement.

{mosads}

An alert Saturday informed Hawaii residents that a ballistic missile threat was inbound to the island state, sending residents into a panic for nearly 40 minutes before a second alert informed residents that the first message had been a false alarm.

Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D) tweeted in the meantime that officials had assured her that the message was a false alarm.

“HAWAII – THIS IS A FALSE ALARM. THERE IS NO INCOMING MISSILE TO HAWAII. I HAVE CONFIRMED WITH OFFICIALS THERE IS NO INCOMING MISSILE,” she tweeted.

After the all-clear was given, lawmakers began to question how the false alarm occurred, and how it remained uncorrected for so long.

“The people of Hawaii just got a taste of the stark reality of what we face here of a potential nuclear strike on Hawaii,” Gabbard said in an interview shortly afterward on CNN.

“This is a real threat facing Hawaii,” she said.

“What happened today is totally inexcusable. The whole state was terrified. There needs to be tough and quick accountability and a fixed process,” added Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz (D) on Twitter.