The document outlines the key components needed to describe a policy problem and propose a solution. It identifies the United States' vulnerability to disasters and lack of an effective nationwide emergency alert system. This results in unnecessary loss of life and property damage due to the absence of federal leadership to coordinate existing warning agencies and work with manufacturers. The document suggests a plausible solution is for the government to encourage the production of consumer electronics that can automatically receive and announce emergency alerts.

1. Essential Components of a Policy
Problem Description
Threat warning system
Process example

2. Questions Your Policy Problem
Description Must Answer
• What are the problematic condition(s)?
• What problem(s) do the condition(s) present?
• What are the policy issues?
• What is the your concern(s)?
• What is your intended reader’s concern(s)?
• What other stakeholders are concerned?
• What are the key disagreements and agreements
among those concerned?
• What plausible and realistic solution can you
offer?

3. What are the problematic conditions?
• The U.S. is prone to frequent disasters—man-
made and natural (we are the #1 nation in terms
of tornado frequency)—and, as an open society,
we are vulnerable to terrorist attack as well.
• Yet, when an urgent public warning is issued,
especially late at night, the majority of Americans
have no way of being alerted to imminent danger.

4. What problem(s) do the condition(s) present?
• Unnecessary loss of life
• Excessive property damage
• Increased feeling of insecurity

5. What are the policy issues?
Primary
• Need for a more effective public-warning system
infrastructure only possible with federal leadership
including coordination of existing warning issuing
agencies, and to secure the cooperation of
consumer-device manufacturers.
• Such an effort would amount to an industrial policy.
• Lack of political leadership to institute such a
system.

6. What are the policy issues?
Secondary
• Political and stakeholder coalition needed to
achieve national industrial policy does not
currently exist
• Economic issues, especially off-shoring of
consumer electronics production for US markets
• Need for technical standards for products and
administrative rules enforcing those standards

7. My Concern
• The technology exists to bring official warnings to the
public’s attention in a timely manner
• But creation of an effective system is stalled, leading
to avoidable loss of life & property damage
• Due to a lack of leadership, particularly the federal
government, which bears ultimate responsibility for
warning citizens of potential danger.

8. Intender Reader’s Concern
• My intended readers (high government officials)
are responsible, personally and professionally, for
ensuring that public warnings are disseminated as
effectively as possible.
• Their concern is, or should be, that their duties
related to public safety be well executed.

9. Other Stakeholders
• Department of Commerce
– National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
– National Weather Service
• Department of Homeland Security
– Federal Emergency Management Administration
– Transportation Security Administration
• Federal Communication Commission
• National Institute of Standards and Technology
• Insurance industry
• Communications product manufacturers
• Communication service providers

10. Key agreements
• Everyone agrees that the protection of lives
and property is a salient public value.
• Almost everyone agrees that, as a national
problem, leadership at the federal level is
appropriate.

11. Key disagreements
• Disagreements include the appropriate mix of
public and private participation
• What costs should be borne by individual
citizens
• The acceptable degree of intrusion when
warnings broadcasts are disseminated.

12. What plausible and realistic solution
can you offer?
• The U.S. could ensure nearly universal
reception of public warnings, day or night, by
encouraging the manufacture of “alert-
friendly” consumer electronic devices that
monitor and ‘announce’ emergency alert
transmissions automatically within
appropriate design parameters.