Federal Council modernizes alerting of the population - consultation on multi-channel strategy
Der Bundesrat will die Bevölkerung bei Ereignisfällen mit modernen Kanälen informieren, warnen und alarmieren. Geplant sind im Sinne einer Multikanalstrategie die Einführung der Handyalarmierung («Cell Broadcast»), die Übertragung der Sirenenverantwortung an die Kantone sowie der Rückbau der UKW-basierten Notfallradiosender. Dazu hat der Bundesrat die Vernehmlassung für Änderungen des Bevölkerungs- und Zivilschutzgesetzes eröffnet. Die Vernehmlassung dauert bis am 2. Februar 2026.
Back in November 2024, the Federal Council endorsed the thrust of the strategy developed by the Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP). «Multi-channel strategy for informing, warning and alerting the population» pronounced. It aims to ensure that the population is comprehensively informed, warned and alerted in crisis situations. Among other things, the central core system through which the Confederation and cantons record and disseminate information, warnings and alerts must be renewed. The Federal Council is now creating the legal basis for this and opening the consultation process for amendments to the Federal Civil Protection Act (FCA). Important changes are planned in three areas:
Cell phone alerting: introduction of a new far-reaching alerting channel
The expansion of the use of digital channels is at the forefront of the multi-channel strategy. The newly introduced cell broadcast channel is able to send a short text message to all smartphones in an affected area. This option will be used for urgent warnings and alerts. For this purpose, all mobile networks in Switzerland must be technically upgraded, in particular by creating a high-availability «Cell Broadcast Center (CBC)» for each mobile network, which receives the messages and ensures their distribution in the affected regions. «Cell Broadcast» has already been introduced in several of Switzerland's neighboring countries. In addition, the Alertswiss website and app, which have been in use since 2018, are to be further developed to ensure accessibility and the availability of content on cell phones even without network reception; however, this does not require any changes to the legal basis.
Cantons responsible for sirens, federal government for the remote triggering system
The second change concerns responsibility for sirens. Before 2021, responsibility for sirens was divided between the Confederation and the cantons. With the Civil Protection Act of 2021, all tasks were to be taken over by the federal government after a transitional period. However, it has been shown that centralization cannot achieve the desired effects. The management of the sirens over the entire life cycle (alerting and site planning, site preparation, provision, maintenance, servicing, dismantling, etc.) takes place locally. The most efficient way of performing these tasks is therefore to have them performed by the cantonal authority. The Federal Council therefore proposes that responsibility and funding for the maintenance and operation of sirens be transferred entirely to the cantons. The Confederation will continue to ensure uniform, secure remote siren control and will provide a new remote siren triggering system for this purpose, which will replace the current system by 2035. The Federal Council is requesting amendments to the Civil Protection Act for the new regulation of responsibilities.
Focus on the channels that bring the greatest added value
The third measure concerns the discontinuation of the FM-based emergency radio system. The Federal Council considers the benefits of this system to be too small to justify the high operating costs of around CHF 20 million per year required for continued operation. Even if Parliament were to decide at a later date to extend the FM licenses of private radio stations, emergency radio is no longer appropriate for the protection of the population. The scenario in which the population remains in shelters for days and weeks without interruption and the emergency radio remains undamaged so that the population can be informed with a program broadcast via FM is considered unlikely.
Current armed conflicts, such as in Ukraine, show that rapid, local alerting with sirens and cell phones and the provision of information to contact points of the authorities play a central role. With the introduction of local, high-reach channels such as cell broadcasting, mandatory broadcasting via all radio stations (FM, DAB+, satellite and web radio) and the strengthening of information dissemination at emergency meeting points, information, warning and alerting can be ensured across a broad spectrum of events, even in the event of individual system failures. The emergency radio system is therefore to be dismantled.
Investment and operating costs of over 400 million francs
For the maintenance and further development of the systems for informing, warning and alerting the population, i.e. the core system, siren remote triggering system, cell broadcast, the further development of the Alertswiss app and website and the dismantling of the emergency radio, the Confederation expects investment and operating costs of CHF 410.9 million by 2035, of which CHF 269.4 million are newly required funds. The Federal Council will apply to Parliament for commitment credits to implement the multi-channel strategy.
The consultation will last until February 2, 2026.
Source: FOCP
