Expect a National Wireless Emergency Alert System message on your phone on Wednesday

The National Wireless Emergency Alert System will be conducting a nationwide test to ensure its effectiveness in delivering emergency messages to cell phones, radio, and TV. On Wednesday, citizens should expect the nationwide test message that will be sent to most cell phones.  The purpose of the test is to enhance public safety and emergency preparedness.

This system has been used before for emergency purposes, but the upcoming test has garnered some conspiracy theories, but they are not grounded in scientific fact, and have been debunked by experts. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will send a test message in either English or Spanish, depending on the language settings of the recipient’s cell phone. This message will be sent to all consumer cell phones, assuming the wireless provider has chosen to participate (most have, but it’s not mandatory), and the phone is turned on and within range of a cell tower. Around the same time as the cell phone alert, a similar emergency alert will be broadcast on radio and TV. This alert is expected to last approximately one minute.

The first wireless alert test took place in October 2018, followed by another in August 2021. Federal regulations require that the system is tested at least once every three years.

The audio signal used for the alert is the same one established in 1963 when President John F. Kennedy created the Emergency Broadcast System. It has been repurposed for the National Wireless Emergency Alerts system, which was established in 2008 and became operational in 2012, according to the FCC.

Local, state, and federal agencies have employed the Wireless Emergency Alerts system more than 84,000 times since its inception in 2012. These alerts have been used to convey warnings about dangerous weather, missing children, and various other emergencies.

No Charges for Receiving Alerts: Wireless customers are not charged for receiving these Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) messages, as clarified by the FCC.

If the test is postponed due to severe weather or other actual emergencies, it will be rescheduled for October 11.

This round of testing has been accompanied by conspiracy claims, falsely linking it to COVID-19 vaccines. There are rumors on social media suggesting that people should turn off their phones on the day of the test because the signal will supposedly “activate nanoparticles” inserted by vaccines. However, microbiologists and infectious disease specialists have rejected this assertion as unfounded.