By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC is probing how to get emergency alerts to areas that do not have at least LTE/4G networks.
The commission is contemplating broadening the distribution of these alerts on 3G networks and is floating the creation and operation of a downloadable national mobile application. The current system broadcasts the alerts on television, radio and to mobile devices connected only to 4G and newer (5G) wireless networks.
“While persons without access to [wireless public alerting] may still be able to receive public alerts through broadcasting undertakings or other means, the Commission is seeking comments on the possibilities for enabling Canadians to receive emergency alerts by other means of telecommunications,” the CRTC said in its consultation document, released Tuesday.
The consultation comes on the same day Rogers announced an open beta test for text messaging using its new satellite-to-mobile service, which is ultimately intended to tackle dead zones across the country – including to help close the gap for emergency communications.
The commission is also seeking to understand whether there are barriers to including other languages for alerts beside English and French – both official languages the regulator is already contemplating mandating regardless of the location of the emergency.
“To maximize the reach of emergency alerts, the Commission is seeking to understand whether, and how, the NPAS [National Public Alerting System] could technically or operationally support languages other than English and French, including Indigenous languages,” it said in the consultation document.
The deadline for comments is October 14.
The National Alert Aggregation and Dissemination (NAAD) system is operated by Pelmorex.
Photo via Wikimedia
