STATEMENT OF
CHAIRMAN KEVIN J. MARTIN
Re:  The Commercial Mobile Alert System, First Report and Order, 
PS Docket No. 07-287
With the American public increasingly relying on wireless communications in everyday 
life, it is essential that we support and advance new ways to share critical, time-sensitive 
information with them in times of crisis. The ability to deliver accurate and timely 
warnings and alerts through cell phones and other mobile devices is an important next 
step in our efforts to help ensure that the American public has the information they need 
to take action to protect themselves and their families prior to, and during, disasters and 
other emergencies. The Commercial Mobile Services Alert Advisory Committee’s 
recommendations were instrumental in moving this process forward. I commend them for 
their efforts
No one questions the value that an effective Commercial Mobile Alert System will have 
on the safety and welfare of the American public.  Accordingly, we welcomed the 
challenge offered to us by the WARN Act as an opportunity to meet our public safety 
obligations under the Communications Act and to achieve one of our top priorities - an 
effective alert system for wireless devices.  
By adopting technical requirements for the wireless alerting system today, we are 
enabling wireless providers that choose to participate in this system to begin designing 
their networks to deliver mobile alerts. It would have been better, of course, if we had a 
Federal entity in place now to take on the role of alert aggregator and gateway.  We are 
hopeful that we have initiated the dialogue that will allow an appropriate Federal entity to 
assume that central role in an expeditious manner.
This system has the potential to significantly impact the way Americans receive critical 
warnings on the go, whether they are at home, work, or vacationing.  As we go forward, 
given the important public safety purpose that these alerts serve, I encourage wireless 
providers to participate fully in this valuable system.