Feds approve updates to mobile emergency alerts

Federal regulators on Thursday overhauled the system that pushes alerts to smartphones and other mobile devices in an emergency.

Alerts that were once restricted to 90 characters will now be as long as 360 for some types of networks following the Federal Communication’s vote on the new rules.

{mosads}And officials responding to emergencies will now be able to include links and phone numbers in all types of alerts. That could allow law enforcement authorities to link to maps, for example, or other photos.

“We all know how mobile technology has changed our lives generally,” said Chairman Tom Wheeler. “With this action today we’re now doing even more to allow mobile technology to save lives.”

The commission also told wireless providers to support alerts that were sent in Spanish. They will also now formally consider whether to require support for other languages as well.

Republican Commissioner Michael O’Rielly was the only member of the commission to dissent on a part of the proposal, arguing that the timeline for implementing some of the rule changes was unreasonable.

“Over-promising and under-delivering does not improve public safety,” he said.

The item gained a higher profile after authorities in New York City used the alerts system to send a message to smartphones informing the public that it was searching for Ahmad Khan Rahami, a suspect in a bombing in Manhattan and New Jersey earlier this month

City officials led a lobbying campaign to push the commission to add pictures to all alerts with their vote on Thursday. They were backed by cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

“These needed improvements are far too important to be delayed,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a letter to the commission after the attack, which was mentioned by several commissioners when they spoke about their vote.

But large-scale changes to the system have met some resistance.

The wireless industry has also been wary of reform, citing the possibility of network congestion if more information is transmitted through the messages. CTIA, a wireless trade group, recently told the commission it was worried about quickly moving to include links in every type of alert, according to a filing.