Emergency Alert System

Jacksonville TV Station Owner Fined For Airing Jaguars Ad With Bogus “Emergency Broadcast Transmission”

Jacksonville TV Station Owner Fined For Airing Jaguars Ad With Bogus “Emergency Broadcast Transmission”

Imagine sitting around your Florida home in August, just as hurricane season is swinging into high gear, when your TV suddenly starts making a familiar alert sound, declaring “This is not a test. This is an emergency broadcast transmission.” Then you look up at the screen and see it’s just an ad for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Not only is this a bad idea for a TV commercial; it’s also against the law. [More]

(Stephen Depolo)

FCC Fines ESPN, Viacom $1.4M For Improper Use Of Emergency Alert Tones

Hearing the emergency alert warning tones blaring from your television typically makes you take immediate notice (and immediately hit the Mute button). So when a broadcaster allows a commercial or program to air similar sounds without an actual emergency occurring, they could be on the receiving end of a pretty big fine from federal regulators. [More]

AT&T Says U-Verse False Alarm Came From Radio Station

AT&T Says U-Verse False Alarm Came From Radio Station

Earlier this morning, AT&T U-Verse subscribers woke up to an alarming, unexplained Emergency Alert Message on their screens. Now the company is trying to shed a bit of light on what exactly happened. [More]

This is not an alert message. It just looks like one. (KXAN-TV)

AT&T U-Verse Freaks Customers Out With Bogus Emergency Alert Message

This morning, some AT&T U-Verse subscribers woke to an alarming message displayed on their TV screens declaring a vague emergency, without any mention of it being a test. [More]

FCC To TV Companies: You Can’t Broadcast Emergency Alert Tones If It’s Not An Emergency

FCC To TV Companies: You Can’t Broadcast Emergency Alert Tones If It’s Not An Emergency

The thing about the Emergency Alert System is that it’s only supposed to be used to alert people when there’s an actual emergency. So anyone viewing the trailer for 2013’s Olympus Has Fallen might’ve been alarmed to hear those telltale tones along with “This is not a test” — at least until Gerard Butler’s face hits the screen. [More]

Comcast Says Lightning Caused Emergency Alert System To Show QVC

Comcast Says Lightning Caused Emergency Alert System To Show QVC

Remember Jim? His Comcast cable box randomly responded to the emergency alert system (EAS) by tuning in to QVC. According to a source inside Comcast, rogue lightning strikes set off the EAS, even though there wasn’t an emergency. Two things happen when the EAS activates: the cable box switches to a local channel, and Comcast replaces the local programming with an alert. In Jim’s case, the box switched to the emergency channel—which happened to be QVC—but since there wasn’t an emergency, there was no special broadcast. So what can you do next time your cable box independently declares an emergency?

Comcast: In Case Of Emergency, Remain Calm, Watch QVC

Comcast: In Case Of Emergency, Remain Calm, Watch QVC

When Comcast activates the emergency alert system, Jim’s cable box snaps into action and tunes itself to QVC. The locked cable box refuses to tune to any other channel, so Jim is left wondering what emergency information he’s missing while staring at the latest deals on cubic zirconia bracelets.