FCC approves plan for emergency text messages

Federal regulators have approved a plan to create a nationwide emergency alert system using text messages delivered to cellphones.

The Federal Communications Commission adopted the rules for a voluntary system that would let carriers such as AT&T; Inc. alert subscribers to emergencies.

The rules are an “important next step” in the FCC’s efforts to improve communications during disasters, Chairman Kevin J. Martin said Wednesday.

The agency, which was scheduled to vote on the measure at today’s monthly meeting, instead voted Wednesday to meet a deadline from Congress.

The rules, consisting mostly of technical standards, are based on recommendations from an advisory committee that includes public-safety officials and industry representatives.

A 2006 law requires the FCC to implement the alert system to improve communications during emergencies such as natural disasters and terrorist attacks. The system also will carry Amber alerts, the urgent bulletins about missing children.

Wireless providers sending alerts about local emergencies will have to target subscribers at the county level. The rules bar carriers from charging customers for the text alerts.

Text messages have exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly among young people. The wireless industry’s trade group, CTIA, estimates that more than 48 billion texts are sent each month.