June 27, 2012 - Recent Comcast customers are encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts

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Sarah Huntley, Media Relations, 303-441-3155
www.bouldercolorado.gov

Recent Comcast customers are encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts

Public safety officials are encouraging customers who have signed up for telephone service provided by Comcast within the past year to make sure their phone numbers have been entered into the reverse emergency notification system that is used by City of Boulder and county authorities. This process takes just a few minutes and can be completed online at www.boco911alert.com.

Most traditional “landline” telephones are already in the system, and customers with these types of phones can generally expect to receive phone notifications when emergencies are occurring in their neighborhoods. But some widely used types of phones, such as cellular or Internet-connected phones, are not included unless users have registered them. This has become a more significant issue in recent years because more customers are canceling more traditional phone services.

It is especially important that customers who have signed contracts with Comcast in the past year for any type of phone service register their phones. This is because, about a year ago, Comcast stopped providing customer information that can be used with the Everbridge system. Everbridge is the company that manages the phone number database and provides the service to local law enforcement agencies.

After several months of negotiation, Comcast provided some data on June 12, and Everbridge is working to get the additional numbers loaded into the system as quickly as possible. In the meantime, however, these customers are not covered by the system.

“Situations like the fire occurring are a great reminder of the value of these kinds of tools, and we want to be sure the community knows how important it is that they confirm that their phone numbers are in the system,” Police Chief Mark Beckner said.

Everbridge allows customers to register up to three phone lines for as many as five addresses, so that individuals can create several layers of notification. As of early May, more than 20,400 individuals had registered their phone numbers in the system.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 10 July 2012 10:39