Wireless Emergency Alert tests discontinued??

[Rred]

And that's my question. I realized this morning that I haven't heard a peep, none of the usual monthly tests, since last September, when I filed an FCC complaint against my carrier for sending me a message about ice and water distribution in Panama City--which has got nothing to do with me, my phone, my location, or my billing address. And nothing at all since then. The chimp at my carrier's 611 had never heard of the program (!) and the FCC had no idea if testing was still being performed, although they hadn't heard otherwise.
So, has anyone received the routine monthly tests, or weather alerts, of a Presidental Message perhaps looking for golf partner in the last six months?

(I'm assuming the carriers, the two big GSM carriers here for two phones, have screwed up yet again, and I've filed FCC complaints, but a reality check from the hoi poloi would really be useful.)

 

[Pat]

The last WEA test was October 2018. They don't do regularly scheduled testing of WEA like the the weekly and monthly EAS testing. Check this link for more info: The IPAWS National Test | FEMA.gov

 

[Rred]

I would call that a misleading page, poorly edited.
"This is the fourth EAS nationwide test and the first national WEA test."
Probably should have said "...nationwide test, as opposed to the monthly local tests..."
because I'd been getting MONTHLY tests from two carriers for about two years (new phones) prior to this silence. And while one carrier said "Oh, local law enforcement send those" the other carrier said the CARRIER scheduled and did the tests themselves.

Sounds like I will have to escalate this to the FEMA/DHS offices to find out what is really supposed to be happening, and whether the carriers are dropping the ball. Not on *national* tests, but on routine lower-level tests. I believe all carriers are required to do routine testing--and the nationwide tests were just done because that way "everyone" knows to either expect a test, or report a problem, at one particular time. A number of TV networks were formally chided for failing to send out alerts during one of those nationwide tests.

 

[Analogrules]

For me, it is a hit or miss when it comes to wireless weather alerts from my carrier (AT&T). Last summer (2018) for the first time, each time there was a severe thunderstorm in the area, it went off (which was appreciated). However during the winter when we had winter storm watches and warnings, or severe icing alerts, nothing was sent to my phone from my carrier. I am curious to see what happens this coming summer. With NOAA not even available in some areas anymore, it is important all cell carriers push notify all severe weather alerts and warnings. A friend of mine has TMobile and didn't even get the President Emergency Test back in October.

 

[Rred]

AT&T does have, somewhere, a WEAS liaison listed on the internet. I know this because I had found it, emailed the guy, and gotten the problem (routine tests at 2-5AM) fixed. So, somewhere out there...at least they had someone in charge of things.

Oddly enough, even with a query in to DHS/FEMA's contact for WEAS, I've gotten no reply back as to whether the program was suspended, or what. Kinda reminds me of the NOAA weather radio and regional warnings in Miami/Broward. Apparently the Broward Co. station went down maybe 15 years ago, so two whole counties get all the messages from Miami. Including small craft warnings for Biscayne Bay, urgently needed in the interior swamplands. (sigh)

Blizzards, big problem but there's usually some hint they are coming. Tornadoes, well, if the sky isn't all rainbows and unicorns, you might want to avoid trailer parks and homes on slab foundations. But the really big stuff--the kind that jihadists have promised us more of--really could use an alert system. Even a simple act of domestic mayhem (Vegas, Parkland...) really could use a working alert system.

I wonder if Ajit Pi has a few minutes open on his schedule...

 

[Rred]

I heard back from IPAWS, the FEMA/DHS side of this. Apparently pone software options will be changing again the near future, but they say that for now, the carriers are required to do the monthly tests--but they are not required to involve the customers or actually ring the phones. (How they can actually test the system, when they are not actually sending out a live alert, beats me but that's what the feds are saying.)

So apparently the carriers must do monthly testing...but there's no way for a customer to confirm that the system is actually working. For now.

Kinda like testing the sirens for a volunteer fire department, without making any noise.

 

[hardsuit]

Rred - ATSC 3.0 will come with Targeted Advanced Emergency Alerting , can wake up YOUR HDTV, Smartphone or Wireless Device , based on Location and Market. your HDTV will have Links Displayed of NEWS, Weather Maps (sub channel) and will work in the Home or on your Smart Device, but will need to be Equipped with a ATSC 3.0 Receiver.

 

[Analogrules]

Just an update, the Emergency Alert on my cell phone (At&t) has been working again.

 

[dunestalker]

As the wife and I were traveling home from Illinois to Nebraska through northern Missouri on Hwy36 last week, we received several weather alerts through our Google Fi phones on May 28th. They showed-up as pop-ups that we had to acknowledge. Cool thing was, both phones were using different cell carriers (thanks, #SignalSpy!).