Joint Press Release
ATIS John-Paul Edgette Phone: 202-434-8851 E-mail: jpedgette@atis.org	TIA Mike Snyder 703-907-7744 E-mail: msnyder@tiaonline.org

March 24, 2010, Washington, DC – The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) are pleased to announce that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently approved the Joint ATIS/TIA Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) Federal Alert Gateway to CMSP Gateway Interface Specification (J-STD-101) as a DHS National Standard.

This standard was developed through substantial collaboration between ATIS and TIA. When fully implemented by communications service providers, this specification will provide anyone with a CMAS-capable mobile device an additional method to receive alerts during emergencies or natural disasters. The specification will benefit end users by allowing wider proliferation of 90 character text message emergency alerts and warnings of imminent threats to life and property, Amber Alerts, and Presidential emergency messages. In order to ensure coordination of industry and government requirements, ATIS and TIA members worked closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in this effort.

DHS’s designation of this specification as a National Standard - made possible through the collaborative efforts between industry and government - demonstrates that private sector-developed standards can meet DHS, FEMA, and other Federal agency needs as they seek to protect our citizens. Further, DHS’s adoption also establishes confidence in, and increases the visibility of, industry consensus standards within the homeland security community.

“J-STD-101 is an excellent example of the public-private partnership between government and industry,” said Susan Miller, ATIS President and CEO, “It is a testament that this partnership can ensure the timely delivery of innovative, next-generation communications capabilities.”

“TIA looks forward to continuing its work with ATIS and DHS developing strong national standards such as J-STD-101 to improve safety and security for all Americans,” said TIA President Grant Seiffert.

This new specification is available at http://engineers.ihs.com/

About ATIS
ATIS is the leading technical planning and standards development organization committed to the rapid development of global, market-driven standards for the information, entertainment and communications industry. More than 250 companies actively formulate standards in ATIS’ 18 Committees, covering issues including: IPTV, Service Oriented Networks, Energy Efficiency, IP-Based and Wireless Technologies, Quality of Service, Billing and Operational Support. In addition, numerous Incubators, Focus and Exploratory Groups address emerging industry priorities including “Green”, IP Downloadable Security, Next Generation Carrier Interconnect, IPv6 and Convergence.

ATIS is the North American Organizational Partner for the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a member and major U.S. contributor to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radio and Telecommunications’ Sectors, and a member of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL). For more information, please visit www.atis.org.

About TIA
The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) represents the global information and communications technology (ICT) industry through standards development, advocacy, tradeshows, business opportunities, market intelligence and world-wide environmental regulatory analysis. Since 1924, TIA has been developing standards to enhance the business environment for broadband, mobile wireless, information technology, networks, cable, satellite and unified communications. Members’ products and services empower communications in every industry and market, including healthcare, education, security, public safety, transportation, government, the military, the environment and entertainment.

TIA is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Visit www.tiaonline.org.