WASHINGTON-As the Bush administration weathers criticism from Democrats over delays in modernizing the nation’s emergency warning system and insists help is on the way, a small GSM carrier in Wisconsin is poised to deploy technology capable of delivering the kind of real-time alerts to wireless subscribers envisioned by homeland security officials.
The decision by Einstein PCS-a unit of Airadigm Networks-to adopt cell broadcast technology even as policy-makers debate the pros and cons of reforming a Cold War-era emergency warning system reflects the broad challenge faced by a huge homeland security bureaucracy to leverage new digital technologies without creating a hodge-podge of solutions that could create as much trouble as benefit.
“Today more than ever, safety and security is a top-of-mind concern with people everywhere,” said Ken Hoefle, president and chief operating officer of Airadigm. “Our goal is to utilize our GSM technology to improve the safety of our customers and enable them to lead a more worry-free life.”
Earlier this month, Einstein PCS announced the first network demonstration of cell broadcast alert service in the United States. Official deployment is expected in coming months.
Meantime, the Department of Homeland Security last week said it soon plans to launch a six-month pilot program to test advanced emergency warnings in which Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA Inc. will participate. FEMA, a unit of DHS, is in talks with Nextel Communications Inc. about joining the effort.
“Our nation does not have an effective warning system,” said Rep. Bernie Thompson (D-Miss.), ranking member of the House homeland security subcommittee on emergency preparedness and response, at a hearing last Wednesday.
The chairman of the full committee agreed. “There are flaws in our current system,” said Rep. Chris Cox (R-Calif.)
But unlike Thompson and Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), Cox did not pin the blame on an administration facing a stiff presidential challenge by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.).
Reynold Hoover, director of national security coordination at FEMA, said the pilot program would lay the foundation for a national digital backbone capable of supporting emergency alerts across many technological platforms by the end of 2005.
Subcommittee Chairman John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) noted there are 170 million cell-phone subscribers, 11 million paging subscribers and 28 million high-speed Internet lines. Various studies, including a 2000 Clinton administration report, recommend cell phones, pagers, the Internet and other digital technologies be employed in the next generation of emergency alerts.
Witnesses testifying before the panel agreed that a revamped emergency warning regime must incorporate a wide array of digital distribution systems, but also stressed that training and administration are essential to making it work.
The Cellular Emergency Alert Systems Association said GSM wireless operators-small and mid-sized-have expressed interest in the cell broadcast solution. Third parties can purchase cell broadcast functionality and network capacity and then resell it as a package to content and data providers-including local governments. With the cell broadcast technology in place, any federally sponsored emergency alert could be provided for free through wireless networks to subscribers.
GSM technology is engineered for the cell broadcast function, but proponents say it can be adapted to CDMA and iDEN technologies. National carriers T-Mobile USA, Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and AT&T Wireless Services Inc. have not bought into cell broadcast yet. The carriers appear convinced that short message service, currently used for commercial applications, can do the job in times of crisis.
But CEASA officials claim SMS technology is ill suited for mass distribution of emergency messages and will do more harm than good because it has the potential to crash the networks. They also point out that unlike SMS, cell broadcast technology does not require that an emergency agency (local, state or federal) know the telephone numbers of subscribers. Emergency messages can be targeted to specific geographic locations to all wireless consumers that might be at risk in an area.
The Netherlands plans to deploy cell alert technology nationwide by July. Other European countries are considering following suit, according to CEASA.
Late next month, the Federal Communications Commission should receive public comments on a proposal to overhaul the Emergency Alert System. The EAS, largely comprised of voluntary efforts of broadcasters and cable TV operators, was not activated on Sept. 11, 2001. Indeed, a president has never activated EAS or its predecessor, the Emergency Broadcast System. Carriage of a presidential emergency message is mandatory and pre-empts all other communications in progress.
A key issue for policy-makers is whether participation in a new emergency warning system should remain voluntary for mass media, telecom carriers and Internet service providers.
