S 1003119th CongressIntroduced

Lulu’s Law

Introduced: Mar 12, 2025

Sponsor: Sen. Britt, Katie Boyd [R-AL] (R-Alabama)

Technology & Innovation

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

Lulu’s Law would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to issue an order designating a shark attack as a type of event eligible to be transmitted via Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). WEA messages are short alerts sent to mobile devices in a defined area to inform the public of imminent or active safety threats. The bill defines “Alert Message” according to existing FCC regulations and sets a deadline: the FCC must issue the order within 180 days of enactment. The aim is to allow authorities to rapidly broadcast shark-attack-related warnings or information to people near affected coastal areas.

Key Points

1The bill would compel the FCC to issue an order that a shark attack is an event for which a Wireless Emergency Alert may be transmitted.
2The term “Alert Message” is tied to the existing definition in 47 CFR 10.10(a) (or its future successor) and would govern how these alerts are sent.
3Timeline: FCC must issue the required order no later than 180 days after enactment.
4Scope is limited to designating shark attacks as a WEA event; it does not specify funding, implementation details, or how alerts would be issued in practice.
5Potential ambiguities remain, such as what constitutes a “shark attack” in all contexts, how alerts would be geographically scoped, and how often such alerts could be issued without causing alert fatigue.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: Beachgoers, coastal residents, and others in areas where shark activity or attacks occur; the general public who could receive WEA messages.Secondary group/area affected: Local authorities, lifeguards, beach patrols, and emergency management agencies responsible for issuing or coordinating alerts.Additional impacts: Mobile carriers and public safety communications infrastructure (WEA system) would implement or adjust processes to classify shark-attack events as alert-worthy; potential considerations for alert frequency, public response, and rumor control to avoid fatigue or misinterpretation.

Generated by gpt-5-nano on Oct 7, 2025