Cell Phones Join Emergency Broadcast Network [View All]

[WhiteTara]

http://www.sci-tech-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=030003EKIL7C
If you feel out of touch with the all the emergency alerts issued by the government, get ready to join the loop. Your mobile phone is now going to be part of the Emergency Broadcast System.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security, is demonstrating today a new system for warnings to be sent as text messages to cell phones, satellite radio devices, cable TV stations, Web sites, and PDAs, in addition to traditional media outlets.

The warnings, for terrorist attacks or natural disasters such as hurricanes, are intended to be of use to both emergency responders and the general public. In many cases, the text messages sent to mobile phones will alert the reader to check TV stations for more information.
snip
During the Cold War, the Emergency Broadcast System was established to provide warnings over TV and radio of nuclear attack. It was accompanied by the now-famous statement: "This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. This is only a test."

The statement was followed by an audio tone. As a nuclear war has not yet taken place, the system has never been used in nontest mode.