Congress

Test of FEMA's ‘Presidential Alert' System Pushed Back to Oct. 3

The wireless emergency alerts (WEA) system was authorized by Congress in 2015

The testing of a new emergency system that will allow President Donald Trump to send messages to most U.S. cellphones has been postponed to Oct. 3, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Monday. 

All the major wireless carriers and over 100 mobile providers are participating in the rollout, FEMA stated in a message posted on its website

The testing was originally set to take place Thursday, but has been moved to the backup date of Oct. 3. FEMA said the decision was made to delay the testing because of ongoing Hurricane Florence response efforts.

The test message will have a header that reads "Presidential Alert," according to the agency.

"The EAS [Emergency Alert System] is a national public warning system that provides the President with the communications capability to address the nation during a national emergency," FEMA said.

The wireless emergency alerts (WEA) system was authorized by Congress in 2015 under a law that states the "system shall not be used to transmit a message that does not relate to a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster or threat to public safety."
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