The American Teleservices Association, reacting to last week’s blackout, has called on Congress to act quickly in passing H.R. 2250. The bill would direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop the Responsive Emergency Alert and Dissemination of Information Call System (READICall) to be used in the event of a national emergency.
Introduced by U.S. Representative Kendrick B. Meek (D-FL), READICall is designed for use as a telephonic alert notification system to alert persons in the United States of imminent or current hazardous events caused by acts of terrorism and other man-made disasters and provide information to individuals regarding appropriate measures that may be undertaken to alleviate or minimize threats to their safety and welfare posed by such events.
“When millions of Americans lose electricity, they lose their primary access to information on what is happening around them,” said ATA vice-chair Lisa DeFalco in a statement. “By utilizing the telephone, the Department of Homeland Security can communicate immediate official warnings and accurate information to these Americans within a very short time.”
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