You will soon be getting emergency SMS from the Govt.

New digital warning system in U.S. would break in on cell phones, Internet communications

The U.S. government will soon be sending warnings of national emergencies on wireless phones, Web sites and hand-held computers.

The new digital system will update the emergency alerts planned - but never used - during the Cold War in the event of a nuclear strike. More likely, these 21st-century technologies will carry warnings of natural disasters and terrorist attacks.

The Homeland Security Department, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, expects to have the system working by the end of next year. Though still in its pilot stages, the system is being demonstrated Wednesday at a public TV station in suburban Virginia.

The Association of Public Television Stations is partnering with FEMA to transmit the alerts to receiving networks ranging from wireless devices, cable TV channels and satellite radio to traditional broadcast outlets.

"Anything that can receive a text message will receive the alert," Homeland Security Department spokesman Aaron Walker said Tuesday. "We find that the new digital system is more secure, it's faster and it enables us to reach a wide array of citizens and alert them to pending disasters."

In 1951, President Harry Truman created the nation's first alert system, which required radio stations to broadcast only on certain frequencies during emergencies. That evolved into the test on TV and radio stations that solemnly intoned: "This is a test of the emergency broadcast system. This is only a test."

Only the president can order a national emergency alert. The system was initially designed to warn Americans of a nuclear attack, but President George W. Bush last month ordered Homeland Security to extend the alert "for situations of war, terrorist attack, natural disaster or other hazards to public safety and well-being."

The public TV stations have so far raised US$1.1 billion - a third of it from the federal government - to convert antiquated technology at its 176 stations to digital systems that can transmit the alerts, APTS President John Lawson said.

Overall, the new warning system is expected to cost US$5.5 million to test and deploy nationally, and US$1 million annually to maintain, Walker said.

The government has been testing the system in the Washington area since October 2004, Lawson said, and earlier this year expanded its pilot program to 23 public TV stations nationwide. It will be rolled out to the public and emergency responders in stages, beginning in Gulf Coast states that were heavily damaged by hurricanes last year, and later in major cities.

Peter P. Swire, chief privacy counselor during the administration of U.S. President Bill Clinton and law professor at Ohio State University, questioned whether the alerts might "be like spam or a telemarketing call" to people who don't want to receive the government warnings.

"Before the broadcast happens, people should likely have a choice whether to receive it," Swire said.

Walker said consumers will have a chance to opt out of the alerts.

Some glitches remain as telephone companies and other networks grapple with potentially trying to alert all of their customers at the same time without jamming their systems, Lawson said. But the alerts could be transmitted by text messages, audio recordings, video or graphics, he said, opening the possibility of sending out additional detailed information to specific sectors, like hospitals or emergency responders.

For alerting regular Americans, "we're hoping that your cell phone will go off saying something bad is happening, and you need to get to a TV or radio to find out what's going on," Lawson said.



Federal Emergency Management Agency: http://www.fema.gov

http://wireless.ittoolbox.com/news/display.asp?i=145275

 

I believe they are still testing this & it appears by the article they want to start with the Gulf Coast region 1st to see how well it works, since they got hammered so bad with Hurricanes last year. I am sure they have some other bugs/issues to work out before they start rolling it out nationwide.

 

I am only going by the article, but I am sure they would include the entire Gulf Coast, especially after last year & the past storms to hit Texas.

 

Amber alert on cell phones has been working a while at least around here.
I signed up last year or the beginning of this year & luckily have only gotten 2 in that time, and both ended up with the children found succesfully.

 

Yes it would have & hopefully they will get this implemented quickly, especially now that things have heated up again. I really hope we don't have another 9/11, but know it's just a matter of time.

 

Cellular Broadcast Alerts Pass FEMA Pilot Program Tests


Einstein Wireless is the first wireless carrier in the nation to successfully test a cell broadcast system that will alert people about natural disasters, terrorist attacks, chemical explosions, wildfires and other life-threatening events. Einstein Wireless has partnered with Houston-based CellCast Communications, in cooperation with a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) pilot program covering a group of states, to demonstrate cell broadcast as a viable component of an emergency alert system.

Einstein Wireless is the cell broadcast carrier capable of transmitting emergency alerts across most of Wisconsin, while CellCast Communications supplies the equipment to support the broadcast and demonstrates that cell broadcast technology is feasible across the United States.

In addition to FEMA observing the Wisconsin pilot test, emergency management representatives from the office of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also observed the cell broadcast demonstration that took place in late July.

"Cell broadcasting is the quickest and most efficient method to alert people of an approaching disaster and to direct people toward safety," said Greg Selig, senior director of operations and engineering at Einstein Wireless. "We are proud to be the first wireless carrier to successfully conduct emergency broadcast trials and will continue to work toward delivering this critical service to the people in Wisconsin."

"The emergency alert process has remained unchanged for more than 60 years, while technology has evolved exponentially," said John Altamura, president of Einstein Wireless.

Cell broadcast uses a feature already built into most cell phones that enables a government entity to simultaneously send an emergency message to large numbers of cell phones, and only to those in the specific geographically threatened area. The alert message is transmitted over a portion of bandwidth that is minimally used in normal cell calling, therefore not subject to degradation of normal cell phone use during a public emergency situation.

"We commend FEMA for closely evaluating cell broadcast technology, which is already used in several countries, as part of the next generation of America's emergency alert system," said Tim Ayers, spokesman for Cellular Emergency Alert Systems Association, an international citizens group advocating use of mobile devices for public warnings. "Since the technology exists and simply awaits activation, it's time for federal, state and local entities to turn on the switch."

While cell broadcast technology is beginning to be tested in the United States, it is a proven capability in other countries. In May 2005, South Korea became the first country to turn on a nationwide cell-based emergency system; and in September, the European Union will launch its commitment to cell broadcasting with an evacuation demonstration in Amsterdam.

http://www.wirelessiq.com/content/topstories/1491.html

 

Here is another article on the test & how it works.

Emergency Cell Broadcasts Tested in the USA

The USA based, Einstein Wireless, a Wisconsin-based wireless carrier, says that is the first wireless carrier in the nation to successfully test a cell broadcast system that will alert people about natural disasters, terrorist attacks, chemical explosions, wildfires and other life-threatening events. Einstein Wireless has partnered with Houston-based CellCast Communications, in cooperation with a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) pilot program covering a group of states, to demonstrate cell broadcast as a viable component of an emergency alert system.

Einstein Wireless is the cell broadcast carrier capable of transmitting emergency alerts across most of Wisconsin, while CellCast Communications supplies the equipment to support the broadcast and demonstrates that cell broadcast technology is feasible across the United States. In addition to FEMA observing the Wisconsin pilot test, emergency management representatives from the office of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also observed the cell broadcast demonstration that took place in late July.

"Cell broadcasting is the quickest and most efficient method to alert people of an approaching disaster and to direct people toward safety," said Greg Selig, senior director of operations and engineering at Einstein Wireless. "We are proud to be the first wireless carrier to successfully conduct emergency broadcast trials and will continue to work toward delivering this critical service to the people in Wisconsin."

About Cell Broadcasting

Cell broadcast uses a feature already built into most cell phones that enables a government entity to simultaneously send an emergency message to large numbers of cell phones, and only to those in the specific geographically threatened area. The alert message is transmitted over a portion of bandwidth that is minimally used in normal cell calling, therefore not subject to degradation of normal cell phone use during a public emergency situation.

The only problem with Cell Broadcast is how different handsets treat the message. Some simply flash the message onto the screen silently, while others will drop it into the SMS messages folder and beep accordingly.


www.cellular-news.com/story/18829.php