Today in TechDon’t Panic: New emergency alert system to be test driven Wednesday
Don't be alarmed if it seems like someone hit the pause button on reality this Wednesday. On November 9 at 2p.m. Eastern time, the federal government will test out a new emergency alert system that will pop up on every TV broadcast, cable channel, and radio show the nation over for 30 seconds. The system is designed as a far-reaching, fast-acting way to spread information about a security threat or natural disaster of sufficiently threatening scope.
The Emergency Alert System (EAS) initiative, headed by FEMA in partnership with the FCC and the National Weather Service, is the first of its kind in terms of breadth and agency coordination. In the event of a disaster of epic enough proportion, the alert will sound and the President can even take control to transmit a message straight from the top. In 2012, the FCC will roll out another emergency alert system known as PLAN (Personal Localized Alerting Network) that will light up mobile devices rather than broadcast networks in the event of disaster.
To ensure that the universal broadcast doesn't incite panic, FEMA has been spreading the word about the test run, and of course the message itself will come with a variation on the standard "This is a test..." reassurance. The date and time was selected to maximize the scope of the trial alert while avoiding rush hour traffic — and an Independence Day-like scene of apocalyptic highway gridlock.
FEMA via Ars Technica
This article originally appeared on Tecca
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