National Emergency Mobile Phone Alert System to launch in NYC

The FCC and FEMA just anounced the launch of a new program that will send out a public mobile phone alert in an emergency to mobile phone userts in specific areas of the city or country.  So there is no need to hang by the radio in the case of a hurricane, tornado, tsunami, forest fire, earthquake, emergency evacuation, or bomb threat.  The alert will be automatically sent to your mobile phone, where you will receive the information and the updates that you need to survive.

This year, only higher-end mobile phones can participate, but next year all mobile phones are required to be equipped to receive these messages.  The program will be piloted first in NYC, and then later will be available across the United States.

Does it sound too intrusive?  Many others might agree at this point.  In a NY Daily News poll about this new service, 84% said No, at least not at this point.  Maybe they pictured a mobile message saying get to the auditorium where we would all become drones mindlessly watching that scary face in the famous "1984" Super Bowl commercial by Apple.

The good news is that you'll be able to opt out.  But I'll probably opt in.  If there's a weather or terrorism emergency, my mobile phone is the best way to alert me.

To read more, chck out this article and participate in the poll (shown above)

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/05/09/2011-05-09_new_yorkers_soon_to_get_emergency_cell_phone_alerts_in_what_bloomberg_calls_quan.html

Here's another article:
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/05/10/national-emergency-alert-system-set-to-launch-in-nyc/

Respectfully submitted
Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., Bridge the Distance, http://www.distance.com/
Training to improve human communication, collaboration, and community when people are virtual--and NOT face to face.