Emergency Alert System Uses Cellphones in Specific Areas

EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM USES CELLPHONES IN SPECIFIC AREAS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Zachary A. Goldfarb]
The move toward geographically targeted emergency alerts is being encouraged by policymakers in Washington. A 2006 law requires the Federal Communications Commission to identify ways to provide location-based emergency text alerts for cellular handsets. The agency is expected to post guidelines this year for the deployment of that capability. But finding one solution for all cellphones is not going be easy. Cellphones now feature mapping software that can show people their exact location, and many cars carry GPS navigational devices. But telecommunications companies have yet to come up with a way to send locally relevant information -- whether emergency alerts or advertisements -- to a phone without tracking a user and sacrificing privacy.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/06/AR200801...
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