New York City Debuts Alerting System

Amid much publicity and while standing at the World Trade Center in New York City, a group of politicians, FCC officials and cellular executives announced the first implementation of a national alerting system intended to warn citizens of imminent threats to their safety. The free Personal Localized Alerting Network (PLAN) network will allow a hierarchy of officials, from the President to local emergency directors, to send messages to mobile devices within a specifically-defined geographic area. New York City will turn on their opt-in network by the end of 2011, and other parts of the country could be covered by mid-2012. Mobile device users will be able to opt out of local and state alert messages, but will not be able to block Presidential-level messages. The network will operate in addition to the existing Emergency Alert System (EAS) that connects emergency officials and the nation’s commercial radio and TV stations. Only cellular handsets with a special chip and software will be capable of receiving the alerts. Download (pdf) an FCC press release and an information paper. Watch a video after the break.