America buzzing as phones receive Wednesday presidential warning test

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration will send messages to more than 200 million US cell phones to test an unused presidential warning system intended to alert the public in the event of a national emergency.

The test message was initially scheduled for September but was postponed to Wednesday at 14:18. EDT. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which will send the alert, said the messages would be labeled "Presidential Alert" and that the phones would emit a strong tone and produce a particular vibration.

The test was planned to ensure that the alert system would work in the event of a national emergency. The message will be: "THIS IS A TEST of the national wireless emergency alert system. No action is required. A separate alert on television and radio will be broadcast at 2:20 pm

The tests attracted a lot of attention on social media, partly because of President Donald Trump's propensity to send tweets to his 55 million followers.

During a teleconference, government officials told reporters that Trump would not personally trigger the alert – from his phone or any other device – and pointed out that no president could " wake up one morning and try to send a personal message ".

The test alert will be sent by a similar device to a laptop from a FEMA lab.

A real alert would be used for an imminent missile attack or other national emergency.

The then President, Barack Obama, signed in 2016 a law obliging FEMA to create a system allowing the president to send mobile phone alerts regarding public safety emergencies.

Federal Communications Commissioner Mike O'Rielly told reporters Tuesday that a regional emergency alert system test in the Washington area, scheduled for April 5, revealed some potential problems.

He said that some people had not received alerts on some devices during this test. "We are trying to analyze that," O'Rielly said.

The country 's wireless emergency alert system has issued more than 36,000 alerts for situations such as missing children, extreme weather and natural disasters since 2012, but never a single one. presidential directive.

Mobile phone users may choose not to receive alerts about natural disasters or missing children, but not presidential alerts. Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) stated that almost all of his mobile handsets could receive alerts.

Government officials estimated that the alert would affect more than 225 million US cell phones, about 75% of all phones. They stated that a person in 30-minute communication might not receive the alert as with phones with an active data connection.