Public Service Announcement
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Smartphone alerts allow organizations (such as the Amber Alert) to send emergency messages to a Smartphone. Ā As of now, those organizations have a limit number of texts that they can send with a message.
Mid Thursday, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to expand those messages (from 30 characters to 90) so that for those organizations who use them, they can provide more detail inside of a message.
They also voted for the ability for those organizations to include a Hyperlink inside of a message that a user could tap on for more information about a message. Ā Those types of messages are optional now, but they will be required sometime early next year.
The system’s limits were on display last week when millions of New Yorkers received a text alert seeking information on Ahmad Khan Rahami, suspected in bombings in New York and New Jersey. “See media for pic,” the alert said.
Not everyone is onboard with this mandate. Ā Michael O’Rielly, a FCC Commissioner expressed concerns that sending such media (and possibly attaching videos to messages) may jam cell networks during a critical emergency.
But another FCC Commissioner by the name ofĀ Jessica Rosenworcel said,Ā “Vague directives in text about where to find more information about a suspect, just as we saw in New York, are not good enough. Ā As we move into the 5G future, we need to ensure that multimedia is available in all of our alert messages.”
Some other FCC Commissioners also raised concerns about sending media alerts and how they may effect a smartphone’s battery life.
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