First, the confusing color-coded threat alerts. Then, the duck tape and plastic-sheeting quacker. Next, cybersecurity chaos that continues to this day. Now this.
On Sept. 22, testifying before a House homeland security subcommittee, Reynold Hoover, the Department of Homeland Security’s point man for national emergency alerts, boasted “great progress” was being made to reach more of the people, more of the time. Some lawmakers seemed unimpressed, incredulous and even aghast at Hoover’s opulent optimism, seeing that it’s been three years since the 9/11 attacks, and the United States remains saddled with a Cold War-era emergency warning system.
But with current funding and an additional $2 million sought by President Bush for public warnings in fiscal-year 2005, Hoover said DHS had a plan to bring the Emergency Alert System into the 21st century.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Directorate for All Hazards Alert and Warning-in conjunction with the Association of Public Television Stations-would launch a digital emergency alert pilot project in the national capital area.
The idea, Hoover told Congress, is to use open, nonproprietary architectures and applications to better distribute emergency alerts via digital TV and satellites to re-transmit media to computers and wireless devices. It would be ready at the end of 2005.
Hoover indicated three national operators-T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless and Nextel Communications Inc.-could be part of the pilot. RCR Wireless News, and later The Wall Street Journal, reported this news and the fact that a small GSM mobile-phone carrier in Wisconsin-Einstein PCS-had successfully tested a cell broadcast technology in advance of deployment in the near future.
Turns out, according to sources close to the situation, DHS was nowhere near having anything close to an understanding with Verizon Wireless about the pilot when Hoover testified Sept. 22 before the House homeland security subcommittee. Nextel’s ties to the DHS pilot may have been just as tenuous at the time of Hoover’s testimony.
Asked whether DHS had spoken directly to Nextel, a FEMA spokeswoman said no-well, yes actually, in that Nextel had talked to DHS via the public TV trade group. The spokeswoman noted that AT&T Wireless Services Inc. approached DHS after Hoover’s Hill appearance to express interest in the pilot.
Hoover later vehemently denied any discrepancy between his public remarks and reality. He said information given me was “exactly wrong.” Hoover said the six-month pilot is off the ground by virtue of a $500,000 grant to the APTS, which recently signed a cooperative agreement with DHS. Moreover, Hoover said he has had additional talks with Verizon Wireless and believes the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association could be onboard soon.
Still, not one wireless carrier has officially signed up. Hoover said he’ll know who’s in and who’s out by the end of the month.
