Emergency managers will soon have the nation on speed dial thanks to new technology that sends emergency alerts directly to the cell phones in a targeted area. The new system—called the Personal Localized Alerting Network, or PLAN—was announced last week in New York, one of the first areas where the messages can be received.

Although many agencies offer emergency text alerts, PLAN is different in that users get messages whenever they’re in harm's way. The technology uses a special chip to allow officials to send off-the-band alerts—not text messages—directly to cellular handsets in a defined area, so those with PLAN-enabled phones will get the notice whether they’re from out of town or even if networks are down.

“Communications technology—and in particular mobile broadband—has the potential to revolutionize emergency response,” Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said recently at the program's launch. “Our communications networks need to be reliable and resilient in times of emergency.”

PLAN, which is better known in emergency management circles by its working title, the Commercial Mobile Alert System, was created by the FCC and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in partnership with AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint. Users don’t have to sign up for the service. It’s active whenever they buy a phone with a PLAN chip installed, including some phones sold now. By April 2011, all phones sold by the four participating companies will receive PLAN alerts.

The PLAN technology is part of the larger Integrated Public Alert and Warning System effort, or IPAWS. The new mobile alerts are meant to supplement existing television and radio alerts from the Emergency Alert System.

"The traditional alerts on radio and TV are still important, and they will continue, but more and more, mobile devices are becoming essential. You have them with you," Genachowski told USA Today. "In the event of a major disaster, government authorities can get lifesaving information to you quickly."

That information will include three types of alerts: amber alerts, messages about “imminent threat to life,” and presidential alerts, according to the FCC. Phone owners can opt out of the first two, but presidential alerts won’t be optional for those with PLAN-enabled phones.

Eventually, the idea is to have PLAN on all phones and local agencies able to send alerts, according to the Washington Post. For now, mobile carrier participation is optional and local governments are responsible for the cost of any upgrades needed to use the system. Public opinion of the technology has also been hushed, although at least one blogger has commented on the Orwellian possibilities.

“I don't know about you but I am not terribly keen on having a special chip on my phone that is mandated by the U.S. government,” writes Ed Hansberry in InformationWeek. “They don't have an entirely trustworthy record when doing things that are designed to protect us.”