A system to alert Canadians to natural disasters and other public safety emergencies via their smartphones is another step closer to reality.
But the government is closely managing the rollout of a complex system where errors can lead to mass panic, as witnessed earlier this year when people in Hawaii received a false alert of an imminent nuclear attack on their mobile devices.
The federal communications regulator this week approved a plan to raise awareness of the mobile warning system that can send messages, distinct vibrations and sounds to millions of smartphones in situations posing imminent threats to the safety of life or property. Wireless operators must be able to deliver such messages over LTE networks by April 6.
Wireless providers, emergency management officials, various levels of government and Pelmorex Corp., owner of The Weather Network, plan to launch the public education campaign later this month after receiving the green light from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.
It’s critical to alert the public before the system goes live to build trust and avoid widespread confusion when people receive their first test alert, which the group expects will result in a spike in 911 calls.
“Using smartphones to deliver alert messages directly to the public is the next step in public alerting,” the group wrote in a joint report, noting that mobile technology improves alerts beyond past methods such as tsunami sirens.
“Making sure that the public is aware of the new alert distribution channel and has confidence in its messages is critical to improving public safety in a mobile society.”
To that end, the group joined forces to ensure the campaign is consistent across organizations. The Weather Network will lead the campaign since it is already responsible for the alert system over television and radio and alertready.ca.
Wireless providers have invested tens of millions of dollars in the system. These costs will ultimately be passed on to subscribers, who will not be allowed to opt out of the system for public safety reasons. The CRTC approved the group’s call for additional support for Pelmorex to conduct a radio, TV and digital media campaign.
While Public Safety Canada is the lead department for emergency management, the CRTC is involved since it regulates the broadcast and telecom providers that distribute the alerts.
“The CRTC is responsible for ensuring that the system that distributes alerts functions efficiently and effectively,” CRTC spokeswoman Patricia Valladao said in an email.
Valladao noted that only wireless service providers can deliver alerts to mobile devices, adding the delivery mechanism prevents alerts from being spoofed. Safeguards to prevent false alerts fall outside the CRTC’s jurisdiction, she said, adding that government emergency management organizations have the sole authority to issue alerts.
“The CRTC has no insights with respect to what occurred in Hawaii, other than what has been reported in the media,” she said.
The public awareness campaign will start at least 30 days before the first test alert. Wireless providers committed to sending at least one such text per year to customers on LTE networks for the first two years of operations. They also committed to use consistent messaging.