WASHINGTON -- A new system from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) could soon mean that the president of the United States could send alerts directly to your phone.
FEMA will perform its first test of the system on October 3 which, when fully implemented, can send a message immediately to more than 100 mobile carriers.
Dubbed the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) the test will go out to all phones connected to those carriers and will be broadcast by cell phone towers for 30 minutes beginning at 2:18 p.m. EDT.
This will be the first time WEA has ever been tested and will be followed by a test of the national Emergency Alert System which has only been tested three times before.
According to FEMA, EAS "is a national public warning system that provides the President with the communications capability to address the nation during a national emergency."
The test itself will specifically call attention to that connection with a heading of "Presidential Alert" followed by:
"THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed."
NBC reports that the new form of notification was authorized by Congress in 2015 under a law that specifically states that 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 the public."
Experts NBC spoke with also didn't seem too concerned that Trump, who often takes to social media to harangue opponents and announce policy, would use the new messaging system in a similar way.
UCLA communications professor Tim Groeling stated by email to the news agency that alert systems under multiple presidents have existed for decades and remained impartial in that time.
The goal of the new alert option, according to FEMA, is to add a new way for the government to reach people in major disasters and other emergencies - something the existing emergency alert system already does on other formats such as radio and television.
► ALSO | That FEMA alert coming to your phone Wednesday is not a text from President Trump. What you need to know
Users will have the option to opt out of receiving alerts for imminent threats and AMBER alert categories but will not be able to opt out of Presidential alerts.
Read the full story at NBCNews.com.
