Radio World  July 16, 2008 

By Randy J. Stine

JACKSON, Miss. By the time Robert L. Adams founded Global Security Systems in 2002, he already had a rich background in FM-data transmission systems. 
 

Adams, president and chief executive officer of Global Security Systems, began work in 1985 with the technology called numeric MBS protocol, the predecessor of the Radio Broadcast Data System. He eventually lobbied the FCC to have RBDS approved and accepted as a standard in the United States for transmission of text and data along with an analog FM broadcast signal.

The National Radio Systems Committee approved RBDS on the 57 kHz subcarrier in 1993. By that time Adams had a decade of experience in the FM data business.

Adams is referred to as a “serial entrepreneur,” according to his bio released by Global Security Systems. His background includes work in the oil and gas industries. In 1980, he established a long-haul trucking company and by 1986 had 1,100 owner operators working for his company.

It wasn’t until Adams installed an FM paging and data system for his trucking company that he realized the growth potential of the wireless industry.

“After I installed an FM paging and data system from New Orleans to Houston and saw how well the system worked, I took the system overseas, where telephone lines were hard to come by,” Adams said.

Adams eventually moved his wireless data and paging business into 22 countries, but sold the business in 1997 sensing the cell phone boom, he said.

Adams focused next on developing Alert FM, a personal alert and messaging system that utilizes the RBDS subcarrier and can be received via special Alert FM receivers and other devices equipped with a standard FM chip.

Adams has big plans for his Alert FM system. Eventually, the company’s technology could be incorporated into smoke detectors, microwave ovens, refrigerators and other common home appliances, according to GSS.

GSS sells another product line, called My Simbook, a mobile social network that enables broadcasters to interact with listeners by synchronizing their radio broadcasts and advertisement with mobile devices utilizing RBDS.

GSS is headquartered in Jackson, Miss., and has offices in Florida, Louisiana, the District of Columbia and Sweden.

Radio World July 16, 2008

GSS Seeks Its Place in Enhanced EAS 
Other ‘Private’ Systems Also May Emerge  
  
by Randy J. Stine, 7.16.2008  
Randy Stine is a frequent RW contributor.

 JACKSON, Miss. With a new approach to public warning on the horizon, Global Security Systems is actively pushing its Alert FM datacast technology — an FM-based digital alert and messaging system — hoping to emerge with a role in the new EAS platform being developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

This is an active time in emergency alerting. From congressional subcommittee hearings in Washington to FCC-sponsored EAS summits, emergency alerting development remains a fluid situation with many different voices speaking. GSS hopes to be heard among the crowd.

As RW has reported, the Global Security Systems Alert FM system uses Radio Broadcast Data System subcarrier frequencies to transmit text data to Alert FM receivers and specially equipped portable devices. GSS believes its system will complement a new EAS. The company now has rolled out Alert FM in 12 states with more than 200 FM stations on its network.

“Specifically, we are hearing from broadcasters that they see the importance of supporting this to remain an important part of EAS,” said Matthew Straeb, executive vice president.

However, there are other experts in public warning who view Alert FM and other private systems simply as supplemental EAS services that will never be part of the primary EAS system. Some question the public service argument that GSS uses.

What about AM?

“I foresee many (private) services coming into the marketplace and they will be seeking partnerships with broadcasters for transport of their emergency data to mobile and fixed points,” said Dale Gehman, president of Gehman Compliance and Consulting, a firm that specializes in emergency warning systems consulting.

While admitting the likely benefits of Alert FM, Gehman said companies like Global Security Systems should be paying broadcasters for use of their spectrum.

“I welcome the many entrepreneurial private warning systems that will be seeking broadcasters’ spectrum to relay their product via the broadcasters’ data paths. However, I would also want a monthly check for the use of my spectrum. It should be a business-to-business relationship,” Gehman said.

Several other companies, including SpectraRep and Trilithic, are selling EAS-complementary systems that rely on IP-based technology. SpectraRep recently was awarded a contract from the state of Missouri to deploy its next-generation EAS system, called AlertManager.

Others worry that Alert FM leaves out AM broadcasters.

“My personal feeling is that while Global has come up with a viable technology, RBDS is an FM-only technology that leaves AM radio out in the cold,” said Richard Rudman, vice-chair for the California State Emergency Communications Committee.

Other EAS observers worry about FM’s penetration — or lack thereof — into office buildings and the need to purchase a special receiver to receive the Alert FM alerts.

Alert FM officials say broadcasters will be stakeholders in a system that requires they pay no recurring fees. GSS argues that typical cell network infrastructure is vulnerable and can become overwhelmed during a catastrophic event, thus the benefits of Alert FM’s point-to-multi-point broadcast structure.

“FM broadcasters have been providing emergency alerting information in this country for over 70 years. Broadcasters risk losing this important service to cell, Internet and satellite service if they don’t participate,” Straeb said

Alert FM’s targeted digital alerts, issued by emergency management officials, are delivered by satellite to FM broadcast stations and then transmitted via the data subcarriers of the broadcasters’ FM transmissions. Broadcasters install a GSSNet satellite receiver, at no charge, to use the system.

States and local municipalities must purchase a bundled package of hardware and software, the Alert FM portal, to create and originate local alert notifications. The system, which allows emergency managers to send digital alerts, NOAA weather warnings and Amber Alerts, can cost $15,000 and up.

Straeb said state and local municipalities are not charged monthly recurring fees for using Alert FM.

For the system to work, local emergency managers need at least one FM broadcaster in their geographic area to sign on for Alert FM and allow the service to use the station’s RBDS channel. In a typical scenario, local emergency managers are approached by GSS about Alert FM. In turn GSS will often work to secure promises from local stations to participate in the system, Straeb said.

Local emergency managers place Alert FM receivers with key emergency personnel within each community. Alert FM receivers also sell through the company’s Web site and retailers for less than $50, Straeb said.

Both first responders and the general population can benefit from the system, Straeb said.

The FCC in April adopted rules for delivering Commercial Mobile Alerts to the public during emergencies. In compliance with the Warning, Alert and Response Network Act, the commission adopted rules specifying technical requirements covering emergency text messages to cell phones based on recommendations from the Commercial Mobile Service Alert Advisory Committee.

GSS officials have been meeting with FCC and FEMA officials and touting Alert FM as a possible solution or complement to mobile alert services, Straeb said.

GSS’ Adams Is ‘Serial Entrepreneur’ 

“The FCC has acknowledged Alert FM as a possible solution,” Straeb said.

Activating FM chips

The company has also been actively pushing both government agencies to pressure cell phone manufacturers to place FM receivers in cell handsets, which would increase the number of devices on which GSS alerts could be received.

Alert FM developers say their single-point to multi-point technology has the ability to send text messages when other communication channels become clogged with traffic volume.

The FM chips found in some cellular handsets and other mobile devices can be activated to receive the alerts via FM-RBDS, GSS officials said, thus expanding its network.

The company estimates that 15 to 20 percent of the cell phones in this country are equipped with FM chips. More than 50 handset models on the market have the FM radio chips, according to GSS.

A recent NAB advocacy group study supports rapid adoption of FM in cell phones and urges broadcasters to move quickly to convince cell manufacturers of the benefits of producing FM-capable cell phones. Representatives from Emmis and the National Association of Broadcasters met recently with FCC staffers from the chairman’s office and the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau about activating FM chips in cellphones, according to a June 17 filing.

The NAB said it’s not working directly with GSS but that it’s monitoring the progress the company is making on using FM radio as an alerting platform for cellular phones.

The company’s goals of having Alert FM succeed depend a great deal on the ability to reach more than just those people who purchase the special Alert FM receivers, Straeb said.

The addition of an FM chip in cellular phones has no impact on size and little impact on price of the handset, Straeb said.

“The chips would add between 80 cents and $1 to the cost of a cellular phone if produced in large quantities. It’s really a competitive issue for the handset makers and another feature they can offer customers if they adopt the technology.”

Handset antenna requirements and battery life are two of several issues being addressed, Straeb said.

If the cellular industry adopts the FM receiver platform, a small plug-in download from GSS, which is license free, would be required, Straeb said.

Rollout

The company has rolled out Alert FM in 12 states and on more than 200 stations.

Recent launches include parts of South Florida. In Broward and Miami-Dade County, residents have access to Alert FM. The initial south Florida radio stations participating in Alert FM are WRTO(FM), WLRN(FM) and WAMR(FM).

GSS has “distribution over a large geographical area in south Florida, giving emergency managers the potential to reach more than 4 million citizens in seconds,” according to a GSS press release.

George Mason University, located in northern Virginia, announced in March that it would use Alert FM for alerting resident advisors and school directors on campus. The school has more than 30,000 students and faculty.

Alert FM also has been implemented in Phoenix as well as Memphis, Tenn., according to the company.

Global Security Systems’ Alert FM also is the “exclusive provider of the alert notification contact path” for America’s Emergency Network, a communications technology company whose system sends video feeds via satellite from Emergency Operations Centers to emergency responders and the media, Straeb said.

AEN is a wholly owned subsidiary of Brampton Crest International, which recently named Robert Adams its chairman of the board.

Adams is president and chief executive officer of Global Security Systems. He and Michael Moreno founded GSS, a privately owned company, in 2003.

AEN in June completed a successful test of its video streaming emergency communication system during Florida’s annual hurricane exercise.

Former NAB President/CEO Eddie Fritts, who now heads up the lobbying firm The Fritts Group, promotes the Alert FM system to the public and other groups, Straeb said. 
 

Global Security Systems Supports Recent NAB Study Findings 

JACKSON, Miss. – July 11, 2008 – Global Security Systems (GSS) announced today full support of the recent findings from the “Study for the Potential for FM Radio to be a Universal Feature on Cellular Handsets,” released May 28.

The report, commissioned by the National Association of Broadcasters technology advocacy program NAB FASTROAD (Flexible Advanced Services for Television & Radio On All Devices), outlines a number of potential benefits derived from FM radio capability on cell phones. The study concludes that cell phone service providers, radio broadcasters, and handset manufacturers all stand to benefit from the expansion of FM-capable cell phones, a platform that could reach 257 million American subscribers.

“Cell phone subscribers are only an FM chip away from having the ability to receive real-time hazard and alert information over a secure and protected network,” said Robert Adams, president and CEO of Global Security Systems. “Implementing ALERT FM into the nation’s public alert and warning system will save lives.” 

With the launch of ALERT FM, an FM-based emergency messaging system, targeted alerts and messages are received on ALERT FM receivers and other mobile devices, including cell phones, PDAs, USBs, and other specialized receivers equipped with FM chips. ALERT FM incorporates Radio Broadcast Data System (RBDS) technology to send digital information using conventional FM radio infrastructure. Overlapping signals from different stations help to ensure that there is always a signal that can be received. Another added efficiency is that the system does not require reoccurring fees to broadcasters and citizens. ALERT FM allows authorized emergency management officials to send alerts and messages to specific groups of first responders, business and citizens before, during and after a crisis.

ALERT FM uses a dedicated and secured data channel so that there is no possibility of public access to the network. In a crisis, ALERT FM offers protective umbrella coverage for certified command and controlled messages to be delivered with a guaranteed source all the way to the receiver. It’s a powerful, switchless solution because messages will not clog up existing switched wireless networks, and the broadcast signal is more robust than cellular signals.

In addition to participating in local emergency communication, FM Broadcasters can leverage the RBDS encoders for mobile marketing campaigns and song tagging in non-emergency situations. MySimBook.com, wholly owned by Global Security Systems, specializes in developing mobile marketing campaigns.

Cell phone subscribers are only an FM chip away from having the ability to receive real-time hazard and alert information – including National Weather Service alerts and other local notifications.

To learn more about how ALERT FM and MySimBook.com can work in concert with wireless carriers to safeguard communities and individuals and to enhance a national Emergency Alert System, visit www.alertfm.com or www.mysimbook.com/business.  

### 

About ALERT FM ALERT FM is an aggregator of state and local emergency information with multiple contact paths for mass notification. The predominant contact path is the FM radio-based emergency alert and messaging system that operates on the data subcarrier of existing FM radio stations. State and local government and private sector officials can create and send emergency alerts and messages such as severe weather warnings, homeland security notices, hurricane evacuation instructions, utility notices, plant or school closings, employee notifications and traffic alerts. First responders, businesses, school officials and citizens can receive these alerts and messages based on geographic or organizational groupings through specially designed ALERT FM receivers or any device equipped with a standard FM chip. More than 20 million people in nine states have access to ALERT FM technology. 

About Global Security Systems LLC Global Security Systems LLC is a systems integrator, developer and operator of the ALERT FM system. The company has its headquarters in Jackson, Miss., with offices in Louisiana, Florida and Washington, D.C.

JACKSON, Miss. – June 17, 2008 – Global Security Systems (GSS) today announced its agreement with SkyBase Communications, a satellite communications supplier. SkyBase has teamed up with GSS’s ALERT FM, an FM-based emergency alert and messaging system, to pursue business endeavors throughout the United States.“Our agreement with SkyBase is a win-win for those managing the dissemination of critical information,” said Jim Lowery, GSS general manager. “This collaboration and sharing of resources provides solutions for mass emergency notification needs.”With ALERT FM technology, authorized users send secure alerts and messages through an exclusive web-based portal to a targeted group before, during and after a crisis. Users are capable of sending both warnings before disaster strikes and instructions after the crisis has occurred. Because the system is FM radio-based, information can be distributed to a large number of recipients in a matter of seconds. Targeted alerts and messages are delivered by satellite to the data subcarrier of FM transmission towers and can be received on ALERT FM receivers and other mobile devices, including PDAs, cell phones and other specialized receivers equipped with FM chips. Potential messages also include National Weather Service severe weather warnings and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) alerts.SkyBase Communications is a satellite provider to national, state and local agencies who respond to emergencies and disasters. They have developed deployable systems used by base camp and logistic sites during disaster recovery management that offer reliable voice and data communications when all else fails. Their nationwide roster of clients includes FEMA, NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and several state and local agencies. SkyBase’s push-to-talk, interoperable, satellite network has passed numerous real life tests across the State of Florida during hurricanes and other incidents.“We are excited to partner with GSS and provide solutions that are unparalleled in the mass notification market,” said Jon Hill, a SkyBase Communications partner.

###  

About ALERT FM     ALERT FM is a personal emergency messaging system that enables state and local government and private sector officials to create and send emergency alerts and messages. Potential messages include severe weather warnings, homeland security notices, hurricane evacuation instructions, utility notices, plant or school closings, employee notifications and traffic alerts. First responders, businesses, school officials and citizens can receive these alerts and messages based on geographic or organizational groupings through specially designed ALERT FM receivers or any device equipped with a standard FM chip. More than 20 million people in nine states have access to ALERT FM technology. 

About Global Security Systems LLC  Global Security Systems LLC is a systems integrator, developer and operator of the ALERT FM system. The company has its headquarters in Jackson, Miss., with offices in Louisiana, Florida and Washington, D.C.  

About SkyBase Communications  SkyBase Communications is a provider primarily to government agencies and critical infrastructure such as hospitals and power companies. The company has developed multi-layered, interoperable, satellite networks that connect national, state and local responders and emergency services to one another in discreet networks. SkyBase designs and installs fixed and auto-deploy satellite systems for Mobile Command Centers, EOCs, and Base Camp operations. The company maintains a 24-hour emergency support service for its customers nationwide. SkyBase is based in Tallahassee, Florida. 

Radio World Newsbytes: Top Stories     June 13, 2008

FM Receivers Belong in Cell Phones Handsets, NAB Report Says

NAB  News: National Association of Broadcasters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT
June 12, 2008
 Dennis Wharton
202-429-5350

NEW REPORT HIGHLIGHTS OPPORTUNITIES
RESULTING FROM FM-CAPABLE CELL PHONES-- Broadcasters eye potential to reach 257 million American cell phone subscribers --WASHINGTON, DC -- A new report released today outlines the potential benefits that could result from an increase in the penetration of FM radio receivers in cell phone handsets. The study concludes that cell phone service providers, radio broadcasters, and handset manufacturers all stand to benefit from the expansion of FM-capable cell phones, a platform that could reach 257 million American subscribers."Radio is a service that already reaches 235 million American listeners every week," said NAB President and CEO David K. Rehr. "With 257 million cell phones currently in service, we're confident that implementation of a new FM-radio feature would result in rapid penetration, benefiting not only the radio business and American consumers, but the cell phone, electronics manufacturing, and music industries as well."The report, commissioned by the NAB technology advocacy program NAB FASTROAD (Flexible Advanced Services for Television & Radio On All Devices), outlines a number of potential benefits derived from FM radio capability on cell phones. They include increased cellular service subscriber satisfaction, ad-sharing opportunities, and reduced-cost on-air cellular promotions. The study also notes that cellular operators are increasingly dependent on revenue from non-voice services, including music downloads. The implementation of FM receivers on cell phones could provide a boost to music downloads, the report suggests, by facilitating "tagging" of songs heard on the FM receiver for later purchase. FM receivers would also give cell phone users access to the Emergency Alert System (EAS) announcements that are relied upon as a lifeline for Americans during emergencies.The report, entitled "Study of the Potential for FM Radio to be a Universal Feature on Cellular Handsets," was authored by Dr. Joseph Kraemer of the Law and Economics Consulting Group (LECG) and Richard O. Levine of Constantine Cannon LLP.A potential catalyst for broadcaster/cellular network provider partnerships identified in the report is the pending implementation of the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) as recently defined by the FCC in a Report and Order adopted by the Commission in April of this year.The full text of the report and information on the NAB FASTROAD technology advocacy program are available at www.NABFASTROAD.org.

About NAB FASTROAD
NAB FASTROAD (Flexible Advanced Services for Television & Radio On All Devices) is the technology advocacy program of the National Association of Broadcasters. The overall mission of the FASTROAD program is to seek and facilitate development and commercialization of new technologies that can be exploited by broadcasters using radio and television broadcast spectrum.

About NAB
The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America's broadcasters. As the voice of more than 8,300 radio and television stations, NAB advances their interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at www.nab.org.###

Broward and Miami-Dade Counties to Benefit from FM-radio based Emergency Commnication System

JACKSON, Miss.- May 14, 2008- Global Security Systems (GSS) announced today that Broward and Miami-Dade Counties are the first two counties in the state of Florida to have access to ALERT FM, an FM radio-based emergency alert and messaging system.

ALERT FM allows authorized emergency management officials to send alerts and messages to specific groups of first responders, businesses and citizens before, during, and after a crisis. Because the system is FM radio-based, information can be distributed to a large number of recipients in a matter of seconds. Targeted alerts and messages are delivered by satellite to the data subcarrier of FM transmission towers and can be received on ALERT FM receivers and other mobile devices, including PDAs, cell phones and other specialized receivers equipped wtih FM chips. Potential notifications include not only hurricane or other severe weather warnings but geographically targed evacuation instructions and traffic alerts.

"Residents of Broward and Miami-Dade Counties will have the potential to receive emergency information from local emergency operation centers where the system is being tested as well as National Weather Service severe weather warnings and Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) alerts through personal, portable ALERT FM receivers," said R. Matthew Straeb, GSS executive vice president. "Hurricane Katrina reminded us that timely notification of severe weather or simple communication before or after a catastrophic event can help save lives."

The reliablitly and redundancy of ALERT FM lies in the use of a pre-existing network of FM towers, which in turn provides overlapping coverage of an area. The ALERT FM receivers automatically tune themselves to the strongest FM signal in their current locations. The initial South Florida stations participating in ALERT FM are WRTO (98.3), WLRN (91.3) and WAMR (107.5). This ensures distribution over a large geographical "footprint," giving emergency managers the potential to reach more than four million citizens within seconds.

"ALERT FM gives us the ability to distribute real-time notifications, not only to warn citizens of emergencies, but also to brief them after a crisis with information such as trafic alerts, school closings and locations of hurricane supplies," Straeb said. "The receivers are small and portable so that citizens can easily pack them during evacuation, giving them the potential to receive alerts instructing them when it is safe to return home."

ALERT FM has formed a partnership with America's Emergency Network (AEN) to create the nation's first comprehensive emergency communications system. AEN, designed by CBS News Hurricane Analyst Bryan Norcross and Former National Hurricane Director Max Mayfield along with Global Security Systems' ALERT FM, form a complete framework for the creation and distribution of critical alerts and messages.

"The combined AEN/ ALERT FM network will once and for all bridge the information gap that occurs after a disaster," said Max Mayfield, former National Hurricane Center director. "The network will eliminate the breakdowns in communication that hasve plagued government recovery efforts in the past."

AEN collects emergency bullentins and video feeds, stores the informtion in a central database and distributes it via the Internet and television. ALERT FM, which is not dependent on phone lines or cell phone towers, is the mass notification component of the AEN system.

"ALERT FM completes AEN's promise of an emergency communications system that will continue to work when the power lines, phone lines, cell towers, and terrastrial internet have been knocked out," said Bryan Norcros, CBS News and WFOR-TV, Miami hurricane analyst. "Together, our complementary systems provide video briefings, detailed text bulletins and critical alerts before and after a disaster. The systems' satellite backbone means the vital information is delivered to people who need it- even when all traditional delivery systems have failed."

ALERT FM receivers are now available to consumers. Easily programmable, the devices run on AA batteries and have no recurring fees after purchase.

For more information visis www.alertfm.com

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LAS VEGAS - NAB 08 - Global Security Systems (GSS)’s emergency alert system, ALERT FM, is poised to expand its critical emergency alert service to first responders, governments, institutions and to the public as a result of last week’s adopted ruling. The rules, set forth by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), adopt technical standards pursuant to the Warning, Alert and Response Network (WARN) Act passed by Congress in 2006 in response to severe communications failures from natural disasters, like Hurricane Katrina.

With standards now in place, ALERT FM can provide the nation’s wireless carriers the ability to transmit timely alerts and warnings to the public in the event of an emergency. ALERT FM is designed to broadcast emergency messages over the FM public radio network as well as the commercial radio stations to reach emergency management officials, local governments, schools and, most importantly, individuals in an affected community or even across the country during a crisis.

“We applaud FCC’s order from last week and its commitment to ensuring the transmission of crucial information to public safety personnel and citizens alike in the event of an emergency,” said Robert Adams, president and CEO of Global Security Systems. “Lives are saved when first responders have the necessary tools to quickly respond to a crisis and citizens are able to receive critical alerts.”

ALERT FM provides a switch-less solution to deliver alert messages in real time to cell phones equipped with a standard FM radio chip. By using the existing FM radio networks, which remain reliable even when most wireless networks are clogged in a national crisis, ALERT FM is a “best fit” for the nation’s public alert and warning system. ALERT FM can send a single message across multiple platforms to ensure that the American public has accurate information in real time.

In comments filed with the FCC, state and local broadcasters, as well as the National Association of Broadcasters, advocated utilizing the Radio Broadcast Data System for distributing emergency warnings to cell phones and other devices equipped with FM receiver chips.

“Cell phone subscribers are only an FM chip away from having the ability to receive realtime hazard and alert information over a secure and protected network,” Adams added. “Implementing ALERT FM into the nation’s public alert and warning system will save lives.”

ALERT FM™ is a personal alert and messaging system that enables emergency management officials to create and send digital alerts and messages, including NOAA weather warnings, evacuation instructions, homeland security notices, Amber Alerts or school closings to first responders, school officials, businesses and citizens based on geographic or organizational groupings. For more information, visit http://www.alertfm.com.

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