Emergency alerts coming to your cellphone via SMS

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted a new nationwide warning system that utilizes cell phone SMS to alert the public of emergencies. Called the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS), only three types of emergencies will be relayed to the public: a disaster (such as a terrorist attack), immanent or on going threats (such as earthquakes), or child abductions (Amber Alerts). The new program is not mandatory, but T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon have announced their willingness to participate in the new warning system. The FCC has been working with the carriers as part of the Commercial Service Alert Advisory Committee (CMSAAC) for coming up with the technical requirements for CMAS. The FCC is giving the mobile phone operators the freedom to design and implement their own infrastructure for deploying the system. The only restriction is that the participating carriers must comply with the requirements and complete their construction within 10 months.