Anxiety over upcoming test of US emergency system

http://www.breitbart.com ^ | 11/03/11 | APF

[paratrooper82]

The fact that the federal government can take over the airwaves anytime they want to promote their propaganda is what concerns many Americans!

If the government can take over the all airwaves in the United States, what else can they do?

Just another example of centralized government control, elimination of state and local government.

[NonValueAdded]

1900 GMT (London time) is 2 PM Eastern Standard Time.

[TheOldLady]

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[Georgia Girl 2]

Yep. They want to make sure we know they can do it. They would turn off the internet too except they know it would precipitate the immediate kickoff of CW2.

[NonValueAdded]

Thanks for the tagline inspiration

[NonValueAdded]

There is now a PSA from the FCC running several times in the last 30 minutes or so during the local news at noon.

[stuartcr]

why do you think it’s being taken down?

[stuartcr]

despicable

[TYVets]

“The System” wants to Demonstrate it is in control.

[SampleMan]

Oh...one other thing: The reason they decided NOT to use EAS on 9/11 is that ALL the networks were covering the same thing. Because of what had happened, everyone ALREADY WAS on alert for shenanigans from muzzies. A national-level EAS alert is for situations when the President doesn’t have time OR is unable to get on the networks to tell us something (like if he’s on the NEACP getting his ass out of DC because there’s an inbound nuke).

Were Animal Planet, BET, HBO, etc. all covering the story? I don't recall, but its hard to believe. Seems like a heads up would have been useful.

[Average Al]

Thanks for the update. I still can’t imagine listening to a test pattern for three minutes... :-)

[BigpapaBo]

(And if I’m wrong, you can look me up in the concentration camp later and say “I told you so”. :) )

Hoagy62,
I won't be able to meet you in “Camp” for the “I told you so”. I'll be out slinging things made of c——r and l—d to the appropriate personnel. I'll go down hard before that happens. I know many others with the tools to do the same.

[hoagy62]

You won’t be.

“Participating stations” have a script, likely to be read 3 times by an announcer at the activating authority (FEMA?), announcing it’s a test.

“Non-Participating stations” also have a script, but it’ll be read by a local announcer, repeated once, and then the station will go silent BUT NOT OFF THE AIR until the end of the test. This is for radio stations only, AFAIK, and I’m still unclear as to what a “non-participating station” is.

[hoagy62]

I appear to need to retract something....

I had said the test was to be for three minutes, and I explained why. It turns out the FCC and FEMA yesterday shortened the test to 30 seconds. According to an industry insider, the reasons for this are rather complex and he didn’t get into it.

Also, the cable industry has sent a letter to the FCC and FEMA begging them to postpone the test due to issues they’re having with getting to word out to people (especially the deaf community) that this is only a test. No word yet on whether that’s being considered.

So...it’s now JUST 30 SECONDS.

[rocksblues]

Thanks, I missed that GMT part.

[TexasCajun]

So, the new system will include Cable & Satellite providers?

No escape, Duck and Cover !

[ops33]

1900 GMT is not 4:00 am in the US.

[Sarajevo]

All I’m saying is...there is nothing to be afraid of with this test.

That's what the doctor said just before my last finger wave. [gloves snapping...]

[prolusion]

“That stupid annoying buzzer sound currently used drives me nuts.”

“Ummm, that’s the point, to get your attention.”

What you’re hearing is packet data sending ascii characters over the airwaves. I suspect it’s control codes for their broadcast system. Makes for an effective attention grabber too, as you (ahem) note.

73

[discostu]

The only thing I find interesting about this is that we never had one before. Once we had 3 national TV networks all participating in EBS it seems to me we had a national system. Maybe there’s something I’m missing.