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                           Before the
                Federal Communications Commission
                     Washington, D.C. 20554


In the Matter of                        )    RM-10108
                              )
Dabtcom Technologies, Inc.              )    File  No.  EB-01-TS-

011
                              )
Petition for Rulemaking   to Establish Disaster   )    FRN  0005-

7946-15 
Alert By Telephone System               )

                              ORDER

  Adopted:  June 4, 2002                Released:  June 10, 2002 

By the Commission:

                        I.  INTRODUCTION

     1.   In this  Order, we  deny  the Petition  for  Rulemaking 
filed by Dabtcom Technologies,  Inc. (``Dabtcom'') on January  9, 
2001,  which  proposes  to   amend  the  Commission's  Rules   to 
incorporate Dabtcom's  Disaster  Alert  By  Telephone  (``DABT'') 
system into the existing Emergency Alert System (``EAS''),  which 
conveys emergency  messages  over broadcast  stations  and  cable 
television systems.1 

                         II.  BACKGROUND

     2.   On  January  30,  2001,  the  Enforcement  Bureau  sent 
Dabtcom a  letter  requesting additional  information  about  its 
proposal.  Dabtcom responded on April 18, 2001.  On May 15, 2001, 
the Commission staff issued a public notice2 inviting comments by 
interested parties.   To date,  the  Commission has  received  no 
comments, except for late-filed  comments from Dabtcom itself  on 
November 22, 2001, January 29, 2002, and February 5, 2002. 

     3.   The  DABT  system  proposed  by  Dabtcom  would  convey 
emergency messages via the  public switched telephone network  to 
wireline telephone  subscribers  located  in  areas  affected  by 
emergencies.  Dabtcom  indicates that  the DABT  system would  be 
used to  provide  national  level  emergency  messages  from  the 
President,  as  well  as  messages  concerning  state  and  local 
emergencies, such  as  tornadoes, hurricanes,  floods,  hazardous 
materials spills  and bomb  threats.  According  to Dabtcom,  the 
DABT system would be ``capable of alerting 40 million  businesses 
and households within  6 to  14 minutes''  and would  be able  to 
convey emergency messages to  wireline telephone subscribers  who 
are beyond reach  of the existing  EAS (i.e., those  who are  not 
listening to  a broadcast  or cable  station at  the time  of  an 
emergency).

     4.   Implementation of  the  DABT system,  as  described  in 
Dabtcom's proposal, would require  the participation of  numerous 
entities, including all local telephone companies, public  safety 
entities, and various  federal, state and  local agencies.3   For 
example, Dabtcom indicates  that implementation  of its  proposed 
system would necessitate installation of specialized equipment in 
the central offices of all local telephone companies in order  to 
connect their switching systems to the DABT system.  In addition, 
Dabtcom  proposes  that  the  Commission  require  all   wireline 
telephone subscribers in the U.S.  to pay a monthly fee  directly 
to Dabtcom, which would be the sole provider of the service.  

                        III.  DISCUSSION

     5.   We are well  aware of  the urgent need  to enhance  our 
emergency  communications  infrastructure  in  the  wake  of  the 
September 11, 2001,  terrorist attacks.   Indeed, several  groups 
are considering potential improvements in emergency  notification 
systems.  We  note,  for  example, that  the  Communications  for 
Coordinated  Assistance  and  Response  to  Emergencies  Alliance 
(``ComCARE''), a national alliance  of over 80 organizations  and 
companies, has proposed a comprehensive public and private action 
plan that  would  rely on  various  communications  technologies, 
including   wireline   and   wireless,   to   improve   emergency 
communications and early  warning systems  during individual  and 
mass  crises.   Likewise,  the  Partnership  for  Public  Warning 
(``PPW'') envisions adding  to Palm  Pilots, cell  phones, and  a 
myriad of other electronic devices  a warning network that  would 
automatically broadcast emergency bulletins.   In light of  these 
broad-based efforts to study and  resolve the issue of  emergency 
communications by  relying  on  the full  range  of  technologies 
available today,  we  conclude  that  it is  not  in  the  public 
interest to initiate a rulemaking  proceeding on the more  narrow 
Dabtcom proposal.   We expect  to initiate  a proceeding  on  the 
issue of emergency communications systems in the next year.

     6.   In view of the foregoing, we find that the  institution 
of a rulemaking proceeding is not warranted at this time.

                     IV.   ORDERING CLAUSES

     7.   ACCORDINGLY, IT IS ORDERED,  pursuant to Section  1.407 
the Commission's Rules,4 that  Dabtcom's petition for  rulemaking 
IS DENIED.

     8.   IT IS FURTHER ORDERED THAT this Order shall be sent, by 
certified   mail,   return   receipt   requested,   to    Dabtcom 
Technologies, Inc., 6285 Karl Road, Columbus Ohio 43229.
     
                    FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
                         



                         Marlene H. Dortch
                         Secretary
_________________________

     1 See 47 C.F.R. §§ 11.1 - 11.62.

     2 Public Notice, Consumer Information Bureau , Reference 
Information Center, Petition for Rulemaking Filed, Report No. 
2483 (rel. May 15, 2001).

     3 Dabtcom states that implementation of its proposed  system 
would  require  the  cooperation  and  participation  of  federal 
agencies,  such  as  the  Department  of  Commerce,  the  Federal 
Emergency Management  Agency,  the  Department  of  Defense,  the 
Department of Energy,  the Environmental  Protection Agency,  and 
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and state and local agencies.

     4 47 C.F.R. § 1.407.