With the start of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season approaching, C Spire is reminding consumers they can receive free, location-based alerts on capable mobile phones, under a national public safety warning system.
Wireless carriers voluntarily broadcast Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) over their networks in cooperation with state and federal authorities under the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) program, after extensive testing and certification by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the FCC.
C Spire received final FEMA approval in 2014 to begin broadcasting the text-like, 90 character messages designed to warn consumers about severe weather threats, missing persons or Presidential alerts during national emergencies. Customers can opt out of weather and missing person alerts by adjusting their device notification settings, but Presidential alerts are mandatory.
“With WEA, warnings are sent to your phone when you’re in harm’s way without the need to download an app or subscribe to a service,” says C Spire Chief Network Officer Keith Paglusch. Alerts are targeted to impacted geographic areas, where threats occur and Paglusch says customers will receive the message if they travel into an area where an alert has been issued or if they are already within the area using a WEA-capable device.
C Spire offers 58 WEA-capable devices, which are identified with a special logo both in stores and online.
May 16, 2018
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