The Texter In Chief

Looking for a tech job? Have you thought about working for the Government? Normally one would not think about Government jobs being very high tech, but think again.


The system is called PLAN, Personal Localized Alerting Network. It will be the new emergency alert system we are all used, to which currently broadcasts over radio and television stations. The new system, PLAN, will now send texts to your cell phone. How does this work, you may wonder? Well let me enlighten you. By the end of 2011 in New York City cell phones will have a special chip in them to receive alerts from the US Government. Warnings will be sent out based on geographical location, for example, Lower Manhattan. These warnings will be sent through existing cell towers which will push the information to the enabled mobile devices. Presidential, local, state, and National Government officials will be able to send alerts. The agencies that will be responsible for this information will be FEMA and the FCC.



Of course, consumers will not need to bother with signing up; their carriers will do that for them, automatically. We are told we won’t be charged for receiving the alerts and that consumers will have the option to block all alerts, except those issued by the President.



So, what does this mean in the time of a National crisis? For one, it means the government will have control of the flow of information. If you are sending a text to your loved one that something is happening, the PLAN will override your text, because the President is more important than you, right? I can see the good and bad side of this. Do we want to be informed if our country is in eminent danger? Absolutely! But, what if we didn’t receive a text from a loved one who is directly involved in the national disaster? I would much rather receive an “I love you” from my husband than anything from the President.



And what about the people who don’t have cell phones? Yes, there are some still out there. Will they be required to go out and get them? Will people who can’t afford cells now be provided one, at the taxpayers’ expense? Or what about the people whose cells are turned off or have lost signal? I am sure all of these questions will be answered with more government bureaucracies, but that means more jobs!





-Mom has been married to a professional geek for 10 years E with one geek in training. We live in the shadow of Redstone Arsenal, the birthplace of NASA.