Katrina Exposed Deadly Flaws in Public Alert System; Bipartisan Backing Grows to Add Mobile Phones, E-mail

Shimkus: Use All Available Technology

WASHINGTON - Hurricane Katrina exposed striking weaknesses in the nation's emergency alert system and lawmakers on Thursday discussed ways to expand the alert network by incorporating new communication devices, like wireless phones, BlackBerrys and the Internet.

Expanding the alert network must be done carefully, said U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., sponsor of H.R. 5785, the Shimkus-Wynn Warning, Alert, and Response Network Act. The bill would devote $106 million to expand the alert network and help coordinate a variety of government efforts to improve the systems. The FCC is considering ways to improve the system and this month, President Bush issued an executive order calling for an "effective, reliable, integrated, flexible and comprehensive system to alert and warn the American people."

"During major events where we can give people warning and it's coming down the pike, we ought to use all the technology available, and we shouldn't hinder new technological development by dictating what that technology should be," said Shimkus during Thursday's House Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee hearing on the WARN Act. "We want to make sure that when it's used, it's used appropriately. We need to make sure that those who make those decisions have been well trained, so you don't get the 'cry wolf' syndrome and people disregard the alerts."

Several witnesses urged Congress to pass the WARN Act, and both Republicans and Democrats supported the bill, including U.S. Reps. Albert Wynn, D-Md., Mary Bono, R-Calif., Elliot Engel, D-N.Y., George Radanovich, R-Calif., and Chip Pickering, R-Miss.

After Hurricane Katrina, an independent review commissioned by the Federal Communications Commission uncovered flaws in the emergency alert system, which airs regional and national alerts over radio and television, including cable networks. While weather officials were able to alert Gulf Coast residents before Katrina arrived, the report said the network wasn't used to broadcast local evacuation routes or deliver other important information after the storm passed. The FCC said hurricane survivors often received "inconsistent or erroneous" information.

Wireless carriers are ready to distribute emergency messages and support the WARN Act, said Christopher Guttman-McCabe, vice president of regulatory affairs for the Cellular Telecommunications and the Internet Association. Cell phones already carry Amber Alerts on a voluntary basis, and Guttman-McCabe urged Congress to base any emergency alert expansion on the successful missing child alerts.

With many agencies poised to issue alerts - from the Department of Homeland Security to the National Weather Service - Guttman-McCabe said a single organization must act as an "aggregator" to coordinate warnings. Also, Guttman-McCabe said any cell phone alerts would have to be delivered through text messaging. But, he added that a voice-based system could be developed.

"With nearly 200 million Americans carrying cell phones and other wireless devices, it seems only natural to also look to the wireless industry to help communicate in times of emergencies," said U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., chairman of the subcommittee.

Several witnesses and members of Congress said expansion of the network should be mandatory, not voluntary. But Shimkus pointed out that some areas still don't have basic 9-1-1 coverage, and mandates could undercut free market incentives to improve the network.

New technology would allow the system to distribute more targeted information, witnesses said, such as specific evacuation routes that relate to the recipient's precise location. Additionally, the FCC recommended that redundancy should be built into the system, and witnesses representing digital paging systems and low-power broadcasting said these technologies could expand the system's coverage.

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