Next week, most Americans who have their cellphones on will get a message from President Trump.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will test its new presidential alert system Thursday, in conjunction with the Federal Communications Commission. The wireless alert system is used for warnings about dangerous weather, missing children, and other critical situations, and the national test will use the same tone and vibration as existing alerts like weather warnings and AMBER alerts, according to FEMA’s website.
The national wireless alert system, like existing radio and television alerts, “provides the President with the communications capability to address the nation during a national emergency,” according to FEMA.
The new presidential alerts, which the agency describes as being for “emergencies of national consequence,” can’t be used for “a message that does not relate to a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster or threat to public safety,” the law setting up the system states.
Unlike the existing weather and AMBER alerts, users and customers of the participating wireless systems cannot opt out of presidential notifications. But as with existing alerts, the agency says, users cannot be charged for receiving them.
