FCC approves emergency alert text-messaging system

I was wondering how long it would take for something like this to go into effect--the school I'm currently attending (University at Buffalo, in NY) started an text message alert system last September.

It's good to know that all of the major cell phone companies have jumped on board (or claim to expect to, which I suppose is largely different from actually doing so), though I'm curious as to the balance between executives wanting to gripe about the bottom line, and not wanting to seem "unAmerican".