225 Million Phones Will Receive a Presidential Alert Wednesday. No, It's Not a Text From President T

[mystery-ak]

225 Million Phones Will Receive a Presidential Alert Wednesday. No, It's Not a Text From President Trump
[Time]
Gina Martinez
,Time•October 2, 2018

On Wednesday afternoon, nearly every smart phone in America will blare and vibrate with an emergency alert – the first ever test of the national Presidential Alert system.

The Presidential Alert is similar to the state-level systems that let police and local authorities send out AMBER Alerts and weather warnings. The biggest difference is scale. The nationwide system is designed to blast a message to all 225 million smart phones in the United States – reaching about 75% of the population.

News of the Presidential Alert test drew almost immediate criticism on some corners of social media – with some people vowing to turn off their phones, believing wrongly that they will be a captive audience of President Donald Trump. Some even mused – incorrectly – that the system would allow him to tweet to every American.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and experts say the Presidential Alert will not be Trump’s personal megaphone to America. Instead, they argue, it’s a necessary 21st-century update to the Emergency Alert System that has for decades allowed the president to authorize broadcasts on every television and radio in the country in the event of a national emergency.

Here’s what you need to know about Wednesday’s test of the Presidential Alert system.
When will the Presidential Alert test happen and what will it say?

At 2:18 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 3, FEMA will send out the first message testing the new nationwide presidential-level Wireless Emergency Alert. It will go to every smart phone in the United States that is turned on and within range of a cell tower. There is no opt-out. Originally scheduled for Sept. 20, the test was rescheduled for Oct. 3 due to Hurricane Florence.

The Presidential Alert to phones will say:

“THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”

The message to smart phones will be followed by an Emergency Alert System message broadcast on every TV and radio at 2:20 p.m. ET. That will feature a voice that says:

more
https://www.yahoo.com/news/225-million-phones-receive-presidential-213007615.html

[Fishrrman]

I was in the car, with the FM tuned to a classical music station when this happened.
Turned the radio off...  ;)

[Silver Pines]

My husband got three of them.

[skeeter]

They might’ve turned down the volume a bit. Jeez

[Major Confusion]

My husband got three of them.

I thought I was special...I got it twice!!!

[Applewood]

Shut my phone off.  Had enough of government intrusion into my life.