April 11, 2008- The Federal Communications Commission has proposed an alert system that will be available to cell phone users. During nationwide alerts, cell phone users would be able to receive updates on thecurrent situation. Three different types of alerts would be sent to users. First, a disaster alert could be issued in the case of an event that could have the potential to jeopardize the health and safety of Americans. For example, terrorist attacks such as the events of 9/11 would fall into this category of events that would call for a national alert from the president. Second, natural disaster alerts could be issues for imminent or ongoing events such as hurricanes, tornados, or earthquakes. Third, and lastly, users could receive information about Amber alerts and child abductions.

Several providers would be interested in offering this service to their customers. Some interested parties were T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint Nextel and AT&T. These alerts would be created by a federal agency and then the messages would be sent to the participating providers. Of course, subscribers to the service could opt out at any time. There would also be vibrating alerts and elevated sound alerts to for the hearing disabled. This new resource could offer a much needed line of communication between the government and the public. If the public became more aware of their situation there might be more of a chance that they could react and recover quicker. 

Source: Money.cnn.com