Can Text Messages Help Keep Us Safe - Revisited

Just over a month ago, we put up a post wondering aloud if text messages could be used to help keep us safe.  To summarize, we all know that you can receive a text message from Twitter when your buddies post something and get notified if your favorite got booted from American Idol, but I wanted to know about the feasibility of being warned about natural disasters or other emergency situations.

We found that some carriers (most notably and for the longest time Sprint/Nextel) can send you a text message if there's an AMBER Alert in your area and we even found that some NBC affiliates (like mine here in the Bay Area and Andrew's in DC) can alert you to things like severe weather.

So, despite having to hunt for someone to provide the alerts, the answer to the question - Can text messages help keep us safe? - seemed to be "Yes."  According to CNN.com, the FCC agrees.

An FCC representative let them know that either today or tomorrow the FCC will announce plans for a nationwide SMS (fancy-pants industry term for Text message) system to relay information about natural disasters, AMBER Alerts, and even warning about possible terrorist attacks and other national security issues.  The last set of messages coming directly from Barack Obama.  Why Barack?  Because I'm personally willing him into the Oval Office.  But getting back to the story, the alerts regarding terrorism would come directly from the President.

AT&T pretty much said that they'd offer the alerts to their customers, but left themselves an out by saying that they'd need to review the details.  Sprint/Nextel offered a pretty resounding yes - remember that they're the guys (well, on the pre-merger Nextel side) who have had AMBER Alerts available for longer than any other carrier.

I said it before, but I think that this application of text messages is amazing.  A technology that started as a very niche, very "fun" service is now evolving into something that can enhance public safety to the point now that the Federal Government has taken notice. 

Is there anyone reading who would be interested in receiving messages like that?  Is there something else that you'd like to be notified of?  Don't be afraid to comment or email.

Full source article at CNN.com

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