Text-based alerts of significant, imminent danger will be able to be sent to most mobile-phone users in a hazardous location in the U.S. beginning Saturday, when the new commercial mobile alert system (CMAS) is scheduled to become operational.
CMAS is a new nationwide alerting system being implemented by the FCC and FEMA in April, in accordance with federal law enacted in 2006. Although the program is voluntary, carriers will have to clearly advertise to potential customers if their networks are not part of CMAS, according to Damian Sazama, vice president of corporate and product marketing for Interop Technologies, which maintains hosted CMAS gateways for Tier 2 and Tier 3 operators.
"These messages are all delivered at no charge to the customer," Sazama said. "The operators are not allowed to charge end users for the delivery of these messages."
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