Situational Awareness Bulletin - Cellular Broadcasting Test This Thursday

From: New York City Office of Emergency Management

Date: December 14, 2011

The New York City Office of Emergency Management in cooperation with the

Federal Emergency Management Agency , the Federal Communications

Commission, and mobile telephone service providers will be conducting

the first-ever end-to-end test of cellular broadcasting technology this

Thursday, December 15, 2011 from approximately 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM.

During the test a series of messages will be broadcast over the cellular

network and may be received by enabled handsets. Each of these

broadcasts will clearly indicate that it is only a test message and that

no emergency exists. However, since this is new technology and may take

individuals by surprise, we recommend that you brief your staff on the

test should it generate any phone call from the public. New York City

OEM and FEMA will be issuing a press release and Notify NYC message in

order to inform the public.

While this test is targeted for New York City it is possible that mobile

phones in neighboring communities (Nassau County, Westchester County,

New Jersey) may also receive the test messages. If the public has any

questions regarding the technology, they should be directed to contact

their mobile phone service provider's customer service number. Each

service provider has indicated that their customer service personnel

have been informed of this new technology and are aware of the test.