What a bunch of bullsh**. This isn't about delivering emergency alerts to people. When was the last time you needed to receive an emergency alert that you weren't already aware of? Let's get real, folks... this is about the government successfully creating a surveillance program to track of all its citizens. 

Not only does this allow the govt to send you alerts, but they can also turn off your phone if there's a threat. This is similar to countries turning off the internet when people speak out against the govt.

SOPA!

Wow FINALLY a feature that everyone gets. Although it's completely worthless..

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotty321 

What a bunch of bullsh**. This isn't about delivering emergency alerts to people. When was the last time you needed to receive an emergency alert that you weren't already aware of? Let's get real, folks... this is about the government successfully creating an surveillance program to track of all its citizens. 

I know you're think you're joking but you're not.  The cell phone network already does that.  Well, the cell phone companies charge a fee, but don't demand a warrant.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/us/police-tracking-of-cellphones-raises-privacy-fears.html?pagewanted=all

I wonder how it knows to send you a message. If your phone number is in an area code in California but you happen to be in Colorado at the time when an emergency wild fire notification goes out for Colorado residents, what criteria do they use to send the message to mobiles?

The reason I ask is that I was in a location that the Police sent out a message that a prisoner had broken out of jail and was seen in my neighborhood but I didn't get the message. a) We don't have a home land line, only have iPhones, which didn't work with the emergency system. b) They only sent the message to land lines anyway.

Edit:

Verizon FAQ:

I have a device compatible with Wireless Emergency Alert. I am traveling today, but I did not receive an alert. Why?

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) are geographically targeted. Only subscribers with WEA capable devices operating within the targeted alert zone will receive alerts. 

WEA capable devices operating outside of the targeted geographical areas will not receive those alerts.

Now if only they had advance earthquake warnings  

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotty321 

What a bunch of bullsh**. This isn't about delivering emergency alerts to people. When was the last time you needed to receive an emergency alert that you weren't already aware of? Let's get real, folks... this is about the government successfully creating an surveillance program to track of all its citizens. 

Tin foil hat pinching a little today?

Quote:

Originally Posted by mstone 

I wonder how it knows to send you a message. If your phone number is in an area code in California but you happen to be in Colorado at the time when an emergency wild fire notification goes out for Colorado residents, what criteria do they use to send the message to mobiles?

When you're in Colorado, you're connected to the mobile network there. They are probably sending out messages to phones connected in specific areas.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jragosta 

For me, this is great news. I was planning to go out and buy a new weather radio and I no longer have to. In addition, when my daughter rid at my ex's house, they don't have a weather radio, but if her iPod Touch will run iOS 6 and receive these alerts, it's an extra degree of safety.

I wouldn't give up on the radio idea so fast. One of the things that happened during the Northeast Blackout in August 2003 was that cell towers (at least in NYC) pretty quickly went down, and of course all plug-in TVs and radios didn't work. That left most everyone without any way to get news. It was scary that night in NYC, in the pitch black among 20 million assorted people, with no news and no light anywhere.

However, you were very popular if you had a battery radio.