STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER DEBORAH TAYLOR TATE
Re:  The Commercial Mobile Alert System, First Report and Order, 
PS Docket No. 07-287
With over 255 million Americans subscribing to mobile telephone service, it is critical to 
public safety and homeland security that the nation's emergency alert system include wireless 
alerts.  To that end, in 2006 Congress established, via the WARN Act, a process to create a 
mobile emergency alert system.  Today we take an important step in fulfilling this goal. 
I particularly wish to thank the representatives from industry; public safety providers; 
local, state and federal government agencies; and others who participated in the Commercial 
Mobile Service Alert Advisory Committee.  The Federal Communications Commission should 
not - and in this case, can not - perform its duties without the help of such a broad coalition, 
especially the service providers who ultimately must transmit emergency alerts.  I also wish to 
acknowledge Sen. Jim DeMint for his leadership in sponsoring the WARN Act and his guidance 
in its implementation.  Finally, the excellent staff of the Public Safety and Homeland Security 
Bureau deserve recognition for their consistent dedication to this effort.