NEW YORK (AP) — Ever see an emergency alert on your cellphone — and wonder why you’re getting it because the situation is one that is nowhere near you? Some regulators are feeling your pain.
And they are trying to press cellphone carriers to make emergency alerts on cellphones more useful — by requiring cellular companies to narrow their focus to more specific locations.
The FCC is worried that consumers will disregard alerts if they come too often or don’t address an emergency in their immediate area.
These messages appear on phones like texts with a loud buzzing and noise. And except for messages from the president, phone users can choose to stop receiving them.