JACKSONVILLE, Miss., April 17 (UPI) -- Mississippi-based Global Security Systems says it plans to expand the availability of its emergency alert service in the wake of new government standards.
The Federal Communications Commission recently adopted a new technical framework for a national, mobile alert system. The FCC adopted the Commercial Mobile Alert System, a voluntary system available to wireless providers that sends text messages during an emergency. In the wake of the ruling, GSS officials say they plan to market their emergency alert system, Alert FM, to the first responder community, governments, institutions and the public.
The FCC move is part of the 2006 Warning, Alert and Response Network Act passed after the communication breakdowns posed by Hurricane Katrina.
GSS says now that the FCC has adopted the new standards, its Alert FM can provide wireless carriers with the ability to transmit emergency alerts over the FM public radio network as well as the commercial radio stations. Company officials say the Alert FM offering provides the alert messages in real time to cell phones equipped with a standard FM radio chip.
"We applaud FCC's order from last week and its commitment to ensuring the transmission of crucial information to public safety personnel and citizens alike in the event of an emergency," Robert Adams, GSS president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. "Lives are saved when first responders have the necessary tools to quickly respond to a crisis and citizens are able to receive critical alerts."
