Washington DC – The Federal Communications Commission has approved a text message alert system for mobile phones. A yet to be named agency will be responsible for making the messages and then distributing them to participating carriers. So far T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint Nextel and AT&T have agreed to relay the messages to subscribers.

Once an agency is named, the phone companies will have 10 months to comply with the new rules. The alert system will send three types of messages. Disaster alerts and warnings could be issued along with information about terror attacks. The system could also send child abduction or so-called “Amber Alerts”. Carriers are required to create special tones or vibration alerts for disabled people.

The emergency alert system is part of the Warning Alert and Response Network Act passed back in 2006. Subscribers won’t be charged for receiving the messages and they can always opt out of the system.