WASHINGTON - In effort to enhance the nation’s emergency broadcast system, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Command, Control and Interoperability Division (CID) of the Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate, convened stakeholders from all dimensions of the alerts and warnings community Thursday to determine the next steps to implementing the Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS).

“Early warning is integral to the health and wellbeing of both people and property across our nation,” said Dr. David Boyd, Director, CID. “Through this inaugural CMAS Forum, CID has effectively begun laying the groundwork for a more effective solution and for making the system a reality for the American public.”

Since they were first developed, public alert and warning systems have primarily consisted of messages that interrupt regular broadcasts over television and radio to provide emergency information. With well over 80 percent of the American population subscribing to commercial mobile services, CID is working under a memorandum of agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to enable and enhance a national capability to deliver geographically targeted, timely, and effective alert messages to mobile devices.

Today’s forum brought together key stakeholders to build a coalition of local, state, Federal, industry and non-governmental organizations, develop a shared understanding of the CMAS research, development, test and evaluation efforts, andentify important next steps. This is the first time a group of this magnitude and specialty has convened to address CMAS since the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC)

Commercial Mobile Service Alert Advisory Committee (CMSAAC) held its final meeting on October 3, 2007.

For more information, contact: DHS S&T Press Office Phone: (202) 254-2385