Congress gives radio and wireless industries a nudge toward a FM-cell phone compromise. A microchip and a U.S. House committee chairman are proving to be the needed catalysts to jumpstart efforts to get FM receivers installed and activated in mobile phones. A Capitol Hill roundtable put the radio and wireless industries at the same table, and while there’s no appetite in Congress to force a mandate, their attention may be enough to nudge the two industries closer together. “This is the start of serious dialogue,” predicts Emmis CEO Jeff Smulyan, who’s been among those leading the industry’s effort with cell phone companies. The Tuesday summit was called by Homeland Security Committee chairman Rep. Gus Bilirakis. He says he received “valuable insight” from broadcasters and the phone companies but signals he still thinks it’s better for the two industries to work out a solution. “The best ideas and innovation come from the private sector, not the federal government,” Bilirakis says. Smulyan says the industry doesn’t want a government mandate, but hopes instead to find a business solution that will work for radio stations and mobile companies. The development of a new HD chipset may be the sweetener cell phone providers have been waiting for. “With the new HD chip, we have a business application that I think will get them interested,” Smulyan says. “Our job is to continue pushing this and now that the chip is ready, we can push and also provide a business solution.” Besides beaming digital radio signals, the chipset opens up new content options for listeners and marketing opportunities for advertisers. For example, an action button that places a call to a local merchant, downloads a coupon to the device, or places an appointment into its calendar. Full screen ads and mapping integration are also included. And music sales from song-tagging could also be routed to a carrier’s online music store. “There are business opportunities here and now it’s a question of how we put them together,” Smulyan says.

Excerpt from Inside Radio- April 26, 2012

Inside Radio- FM chips.pdf (2.07 mb)

PRESS RELEASE

October 20, 2011

 Contacts: St. Clair Township, ON                            St. Clair County, MI
Steven Bicum, 519-481-0111                     Jeff Friedland, 810-989-6325
sbicum@twp.stclair.on.ca                          jfriedland@stclaircounty.org

Bluewater Community Alerting Network

Roy Dewhirst, Fire Chief of St. Clair Township, Ontario and Jeff Friedland, Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director of St. Clair County, Michigan announced today the implementation of a cooperative cross-border project called the Bluewater Community Alerting Network.  The network will utilize Alert FM devices to deliver emergency notifications and alerts to the public and other recipients such as emergency responders, schools, public officials, and cross-border emergency managers. Emergency messages can be targeted toward organizational groups or geographical areas to deliver weather warnings, evacuation or shelter-in-place instructions, Amber Alerts, and homeland security notices.

“As St. Clair County [MI] contains several neighboring communities with St. Clair Township [ON], being divided only by the St. Clair River, what affects one community is likely to affect the other.  Collaboration on keeping our residents safe was a logical step,” commented Friedland.  In agreement, Dewhirst said, “If severe weather is impacting St. Clair County, we know it is headed our way.  I am very pleased about this partnership and the communication gaps the project will bridge between government officials and residents.”

Alert FM deployment was possible due to the cooperation of Wonderful News Radio (WNFA 88.3 & WNFR 90.7) and Radio First (WSAQ 107.1) on the American side of the river and Blackburn Radio (CHKS 106.3) on the Canadian side.  Emergency information is delivered to Alert FM devices through data subcarriers on the towers of the participating radio stations.

To receive potentially life-threatening information, residents and businesses will need to purchase an Alert FM receiver.  The receivers, which are portable and light, use a battery backup incase of power outages and send an audible alert as well as text to alert the residents.  Alert FM devices can be purchased at:

St. Clair Township, ON

St. Clair Township                       St. Clair Township          Corunna Home Hardware
Emergency Services Building        Civic Centre                   372 Lyndoch
392 Lyndoch St                           1155 Emity St                Corunna, ON
Corunna ON                                Mooretown, ON           (519)862-5100
(519) 481-0111                           (519) 867-2021

St. Clair County, MI

East China Township                    Lakeport Market                 Port Huron Township
5111 River Rd.                            7096 3rd St.                        Fire Department
East China                                    Lakeport                              3848 Lapeer Rd.
(810) 765-8879                           (810) 385-3330                   Port Huron 
                                                                                                (810) 982-7129

Steve Arnold, Mayor of St. Clair Township, is very excited about this cross-border project. “The Bluewater Community Alerting Network will offer a notification system that will target the appropriate people with the right information to protect our families in the event of a pending natural disaster or an incident that could affect our communities. I would like to thank all of those on both sides of the St Clair River for their vision and cooperative nature to make this system a reality for the citizens in our communities.”

Jeff Bohm, Chairperson of the St. Clair County Board of Commissioners, said, “I am proud of the efforts put forth to establish cross-border collaboration and get the network up and running.  I hope this is one of many projects that can be implemented through partnerships with our Canadian neighbors.”

A press conference on the Bluewater Community Alerting Network will be held on Tuesday, October 25th on the Blue Water Ferry on the St. Clair River.  It will take place at 1:00 PM between and Sombra, ON and Marine City, MI.  Canadian participants should contact Steven Bicum, Deputy Fire Chief, St. Clair Township at 519-481-0111 or sbicum@twp.stclair.on.ca.  A passport, nexus card, or proof of citizenship (birth certificate) will be required by Canada Customs for those traveling to Canada. American residents wishing to attend the press conference should contact Jodi Simpson at 810-989-6965 or jsimpson@stclaircounty.org and provide name and birthdate to be pre-vetted for U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. 

For more information on the Bluewater Community Alerting Network, contact Steven Bicum, Deputy Fire Chief, St. Clair Township, ON at 519-481-0111 or sbicum@twp.stclair.on.ca or Jeff Friedland, Director of the St. Clair County, MI Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management at 810-989-6325 or jfriedland@stclaircounty.org.
 

AlertFM Press Release.pdf (89.17 kb)

Media Contact 866-920-MEMA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 22, 2010

STATE-WIDE ALERT FM IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETE

PEARL, MS – The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Director Mike Womack announced today that MEMA has completed the expansion of their state-wide ALERT FM implementation. ALERT FM is an FM radio- based emergency notification system which allows MEMA to send targeted information to county emergency managers, disabled persons, schools, businesses, and citizens. A grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency was used to fund this project.

This system delivers geo-targeted digital information via the Radio Broadcast Data System -data subcarrier- of FM radio stations, so thousands of recipients can receive emergency information from MEMA in mere seconds. This information can be received on either fixed or mobile ALERT FM receivers today, or on other consumer devices such PDAs, cell phones and other specialized receivers in the future. Types of notifications might include severe weather warnings, homeland security notices, and hurricane evacuation notices and instructions.

“The system provides targeted notification capabilities beyond our existing alert and warning systems, and it is implemented in neighboring states in the event of a mass evacuation, said Womack. “Mississippi is committed to protecting our citizens against hazardous situations, and ALERT FM will be a key tool in our preparedness tool box.”

Following a successful 2005 pilot project MEMA was able to secure a $1 million Hazard Mitigation Grant to expand the ALERT FM system to include additional radio stations for full coverage statewide. Today over 80 FM radio stations around Mississippi are a part of “GSSNet” for state-wide emergency notification with the capability of reaching the state’s approximate 3 million residents.

Mississippi’s state wide system is fully compatible with ALERT FM systems implemented in counties around Mississippi, contiguous states, and across the United States. Any ALERT FM receiver is fully functional in these areas provided it is programmed for that area.

“ALERT FM provides valuable information to citizens and businesses across the State of Mississippi no matter if they are at home or work or traveling throughout the state,” Robert L Adams, CEO of Global Security Systems, LLC.

For more information visit www.msema.org or www.alertfm.com. ###

http://www.msema.org/documents/AlertFM4.22.10.pdf

Hardin County Utilizes ALERT FM Technology
First responders, schools, businesses, and citizens to benefit

Savannah, Tennessee- February 22, 2010-Hardin County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) announced today that they have fully implemented and installed ALERT FM- an FM radio-based emergency notification system-as part of their emergency notification capabilities. The system was paid for using a NWS weather service grant obtain through the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.  

This new technology will allow Melvin Martin, EMA director, and his emergency management team to send targeted information to citizens as well as specific groups of first responders, schools and businesses. Information might include school closings, severe weather warnings, and evacuation notices and instructions.

“We are excited to have ALERT FM as part of our county-wide emergency notification system,” Martin said. “We will be able to send targeted up-to-date information to specific groups of people in a timely manner.”

To receive this information, citizens, schools, and businesses must be equipped with an ALERT FM receiver.  Receivers are portable, light weight, and easy to program. Receivers are available at the Shiloh Area Chapter of the American Red Cross located on Main Street in Savannah or at www.alertfm.com for around $40 with no recurring fees after purchase.   

 ALERT FM is unique compared to other notification systems because it delivers messages using the data subcarrier of local FM radio transmission towers. The use of this pre-existing network of FM towers provides overlapping signal coverage for the area. FM stations currently participating
in the ALERT FM network for the county are  WDNX (89.1) and WKWX (93.5). These overlapping stations ensure message distribution over a large “FM footprint” which gives EMA the potential to reach the county’s 26,227 citizens in mere seconds.

Additionally, the EMA system will be fully compatible with the ALERT FM systems implemented in other counties around the Mid-South, Western Tennessee, and across the entire State of Mississippi.  Any ALERT FM receiver is fully functional in these areas provided it is programmed for that local area. 

“ALERT FM provides valuable information to citizens and business of Hardin County no matter if they are at home or work or traveling throughout the surrounding counties,” Jim Lowery, general manager of Global Security Systems, LLC.

For more information visit www.alertfm.com.

###

About ALERT FM
ALERT FM is owned and operated by Global Security Systems, LLC (GSS) of Jackson, Miss. It is a personal alert and messaging system that enables state and local government and private sector officials to create and send emergency information to targeted recipients. Potential information includes severe weather warnings, homeland security notices, hurricane evacuation instructions, utility notices, plant or school closings, employee notifications and traffic alerts. First responders, school officials, citizens, and businesses can receive this information based on geographic or organizational groupings through specially designed ALERT FM receivers or any device equipped with a standard FM chip. ALERT FM has been implemented at the university, state, county and multi-county levels. More than 30 million people in 13 states have access to ALERT FM technology.

Hardin AFM announcement press release.pdf (81.53 kb)

Chester County Utilizes ALERT FM Technology
First responders, schools, businesses, and citizens to benefit

Henderson, Tennessee- February 19, 2010- Chester County Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) announced today that they have fully implemented and installed ALERT FM- an FM radio-based emergency notification system-as part of their emergency notification capabilities. The system was paid for using a NWS weather service grant obtain by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.  

This new technology will allow Mike Burkhead, CEMA director, and his emergency management team to send targeted information to specific groups of first responders, schools, businesses, and citizens. Information might include school closings, severe weather warnings, and evacuation notices and instructions.

“ALERT FM will allow me to send weather updates and other emergency notifications to not only first responders but citizens as well,” Burkhead said. “It is a great addition to our existing capabilities.”

To receive this information, citizens, schools, and businesses must be equipped with an ALERT FM receiver.  Receivers are portable, light weight, and easy to program. Receivers are available at  www.alertfm.com for around $40 with no recurring fees after purchase.   

 ALERT FM is unique compared to other notification systems because it delivers messages using the data subcarrier of local FM radio transmission towers. The use of this pre-existing network of FM towers provides overlapping signal coverage for the area. FM stations currently participating
in the ALERT FM network for the county are WFHU (91.5) and WOGY (104.1). These overlapping stations ensure message distribution over a large “FM footprint” which gives CEMA the potential to reach the county’s 16,309 citizens in mere seconds.

Additionally, the CEMA system will be fully compatible with the ALERT FM systems implemented in other counties around the Mid-South, Western Tennessee, and across the entire State of Mississippi.  Any ALERT FM receiver is fully functional in these areas provided it is programmed for that local area. 

“ALERT FM provides valuable information to citizens and business of Chester County no matter if they are at home or work or traveling throughout the surrounding counties,” Jim Lowery, general manager of Global Security Systems, LLC.

For more information visit www.alertfm.com.

###

About ALERT FM
ALERT FM is owned and operated by Global Security Systems, LLC (GSS) of Jackson, Miss. It is a personal alert and messaging system that enables state and local government and private sector officials to create and send emergency information to targeted recipients. Potential information includes severe weather warnings, homeland security notices, hurricane evacuation instructions, utility notices, plant or school closings, employee notifications and traffic alerts. First responders, school officials, citizens, and businesses can receive this information based on geographic or organizational groupings through specially designed ALERT FM receivers or any device equipped with a standard FM chip. ALERT FM has been implemented at the university, state, county and multi-county levels. More than 30 million people in 13 states have access to ALERT FM technology.

Chester AFM announcement press release.pdf (68.30 kb)

Henry County Utilizes ALERT FM Technology
First responders, schools, businesses, and citizens to benefit

Paris, Tennessee- February 19, 2010-Henry County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) announced today that they have fully implemented and installed ALERT FM- an FM radio-based emergency notification system-as part of their emergency notification capabilities. The system was paid for using a NWS weather service grant obtained by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.  

This new technology will allow Ronald Watkins, EMA director, and his emergency management team to send targeted information to specific groups of first responders, schools, businesses, and citizens. Information might include school closings, severe weather warnings, and evacuation notices and instructions.

“ALERT FM is a great addition to our existing notification system,” Watkins said. “We will be able to send up-to-date priority information to not only first responders but citizens as well.”

To receive this information, citizens, schools, and businesses must be equipped with an ALERT FM receiver. Receivers are portable, light weight, and easy to program.  As part of the grant, the EMA was able to distribute about 100 receivers across Henry County to local schools, government buildings, daycares, and healthcare facilities.

Citizens and businesses may purchase an ALERT FM receiver at   www.alertfm.com for around $40 with no recurring fees after purchase. Companies in Henry County that are interested in selling receivers locally can contact Global Security Systems, LLC at 601-709-4240. 

 ALERT FM is unique compared to other notification systems because it delivers messages using the data subcarrier of local FM radio transmission towers. The use of this pre-existing network of FM towers provides overlapping signal coverage for the area. FM stations currently participating
in the ALERT FM network for the county are WFGS (103.7) and WLZK (94.1). These overlapping stations ensure message distribution over a large “FM footprint” which gives EMA the potential to reach the county’s 31,770 citizens in mere seconds.

Additionally, the EMA system will be fully compatible with the ALERT FM systems implemented in other counties around the Mid-South, Western Tennessee, and across the entire State of Mississippi.  Any ALERT FM receiver is fully functional in these areas provided it is programmed for that local area. 

“ALERT FM provides valuable information to citizens and business of Henry County no matter if they are at home or work or traveling throughout the surrounding counties,” Jim Lowery, general manager of Global Security Systems, LLC.

For more information visit www.alertfm.com.

###

About ALERT FM
ALERT FM is owned and operated by Global Security Systems, LLC (GSS) of Jackson, Miss. It is a personal alert and messaging system that enables state and local government and private sector officials to create and send emergency information to targeted recipients. Potential information includes severe weather warnings, homeland security notices, hurricane evacuation instructions, utility notices, plant or school closings, employee notifications and traffic alerts. First responders, school officials, citizens, and businesses can receive this information based on geographic or organizational groupings through specially designed ALERT FM receivers or any device equipped with a standard FM chip. ALERT FM has been implemented at the university, state, county and multi-county levels. More than 30 million people in 13 states have access to ALERT FM technology.

Henry AFM announcement press release.pdf (70.75 kb)

RAB2009 will be remembered as a turning point in the
adoption of FM-based radio and data for cellphones and
other devices. NAB President/CEO David Rehr said in a
recent issue of Radio Inkmagazine, “Providing FM broadcast
reception capability in mobile handsets creates multiple
benefits for broadcasters, mobile network providers,
and consumers alike.” Those benefits include
emergency alerts and information without having to
makes changes to the mobile infrastructure, a low-cost
value-added feature for handsets, and incremental
revenue for mobile providers through tag-and-buy
services. Rehr continued, “FM broadcasters can provide
significant public promotion for new handsets with FM
reception capability.”

Local emergency management personnel use radio
and television, cable, and wireless cable systems, along
with land mobile radio and cell dispatches, to distribute
information to local responders. While the Department
of Homeland Security, along with state and local
emergency operations, is working to provide resources to
promote the development of a better comprehensive
emergency alert messaging system, the recent Minneapolis
bridge collapse was a sobering reminder that the traditional
communications systems simply don’t hold up under
catastrophic conditions.

Many people are still surprised when cell networks
can’t handle the extra load during emergencies, but the
reality is that cellphone networks were not designed to
handle the burdens put on them today. But wireless carriers do
have the potential to help safeguard individuals and
communities by activating the standard FM receiver chip
that exists in most cellular handsets. That chip is capable of
receiving personal alert messages from the standard FM
radio tower that people use to listen to their favorite music,
and it won’t interfere with normal cellphone use.

FM chips for cellphones are readily available and are used
extensively outside the U.S. In Europe and Asia, consumers
can get easy access to FM stations and data through an
“open service” business model. That means carriers offer
users an a la cartemenu of services without tying them to a
particular phone or service plan. That has resulted in over 40
percent of the market’s using FM radio over cellphones.

The FM chips available now are sensitive enough to
receive FM radio signals without relying on an external
headset antenna. Coupled with tuning and battery-saving
software provided by such applications as Radiolicious and
AlertFM, the tuner “wakes” and “goes to sleep” through a
station-synchronization technique developed over 20
years. The same battery-preserving software is used in GPS
receivers, NOAA weather data receivers, alert receivers,
smoke detectors, and other consumer devices.

Emergency communication channels will continue to
receive close scrutiny, and the role of broadcasters will
advance as the FM network infrastructure is shown to
provide efficient and solid support for the delivery of
time-critical, life-saving messages.

The AlertFM system, which uses the data subcarrier
of existing FM stations (along with text and e-mail),
doesn’t conflict with the demand for more features on
handsets, higher-quality music players, or feature-rich
devices in ever-smaller sizes. In fact, the projected music
opportunities for cell handsets over the next three years
are an added plus for broadcasters and will complement
the deployment of AlertFM.

Global Security Systems (the software developer for
Radiolicious and AlertFM) was on the Commercial
Mobile Alert Services Advisory that was born out of the
Warning Alert Response Network Act, which required
the development of emergency alert technologies for
wireless devices such as cellphones. The FCC has taken a
number of steps to facilitate consumers’ receiving
emergency alerts through their wireless phones, and in
2008, the commission issued a series of orders with
requirements for a Commercial Mobile Alert System.

AlertFM Is Not EAS
The AlertFM service, using the FM broadcast
infrastructure, has been deployed for two years,
covering over 60 million citizens in the United States.
With the cooperation of state and local emergency
managers and Northrop Grumman, our government
partner, AlertFM will help keep radio broadcasters
relevant and provide encouragement for inserting FM
radio chips in wireless devices.

There are no start-up costs and no license fees —
AlertFM is provided at no charge to the public by the
station and GSS. Federal, state, and local governments
provide the funding as part of their responsibility to
protect and provide information to U.S. citizens.

TJ Lambert is EVP/COO of Radiolicious. E-mail: tj@tjlambert.net
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