Development begins on US emergency text message system

The FCC has begun the process of establishing a nationwide emergency SMS alert system, laying down the foundations yesterday of technical standards that participating cell phone carriers must observe.

While participation is purely voluntary, AT&T, Verizon, Alltel, Sprint Nextel, and T-Mobile have reportedly all contributed favorably to discussions toward the formation of a system similar to the US' current Emergency Alert System for broadcasters, though which would relay national emergency warnings to cell phone users.

Submitted proposals from these carriers must comply with the 2006 WARN (Warning, Alert and Response Network) Act, which calls for "relevant technical standards, protocols, procedures and technical requirements" to be laid down that could enable participating commercial mobile service providers to transmit emergency alerts.

These discussions helped establish the method in which emergency messages will be relayed when the system is in place sometime around 2010. First responders send alerts to a federal agency (which agency has not yet been determined) which then relays the alert to the wireless carriers for propagation. The messages thus far have been determined to be in the English language with a maximum of 90 characters. A consensus on this system was reached after about ten months of deliberation.

According to a statement by Alltel, "In an emergency situation it is imperative that wireless service providers are able to rely on a single source...and government officials are more appropriately trained in authenticating and constructing messages."

DataFM and NAB voiced concerns over the proposed structure, as it creates a Blackberry-esque single point of failure. The FCC disagreed with this concern, expecting a "reliable and redundant" implementation of Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) aggregators/gateways.

The system will be comparable to campus security systems with early warning text message services that are becoming more common in American colleges. Alerts will be broadcast along a single pathway to all users in affected areas. The messages will concern presidential national emergency alerts (could be handled by DHS/FEMA), imminent threat alerts (which include weather emergency alerts that could come from NOAA), and child abduction emergencies/AMBER alerts.

Though the plan is supposed to take effect in two years, Verizon chief technology officer Tony Melone told USA Today that most cell phones won't be compatible with these types of messages for five years.

Comissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein said in a statement, "The effectiveness of this emergency alert system rests on the good-faith of all participating entities and I expect this will go a long way in ensuring mobile service providers elect to provide these emergency alerts."