Are tests of the Emergency Broadcast System still mandatory by the FCC?

I've seen these tests in the distant past where there's a test tone and there's a strange looking CD triangle symbol on the screen.

Can a bear crashing into your kitchen and raiding your fridge be considered enough of an emergency to warrant stations to go to EBS?

If the world becomes anywhere near as tense as it was with the Cuban Missile Crisis then not only will they need to do regular drills, but US and Canada Civil Defense are going to have to come up with a way to notify people who don't have air-raid sirens in their municipalities, don't watch a lot of live TV or listen to radio.  Could the government broadcast an emergency text message to every cellphone number or email address?

The Military will broadcast messages at 455 kHz and 10.7 MHz, what are know as I.F.s or Intermediate Frequencies.

455 kHz and 10.7 MHz are intermediate frequencies for the AM and FM tuner inside your radio and thus are "guarded" frequecnies.  It's illegal to broadcast anything on those frequencies as the signals would be heard on all radios.

Sometimes "pirate stations" will attempt to broadcast on those frequencies.

The military will broadcast urgent messages on those two guarded frequencies; your AM or FM radio will pick up those signals regardless of what station they may be tuned to...

EBS hasn't been around since 1994.

It's now the Emergency Alert System.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_alert_system

This is only a test on PSR. For the next sixty seconds, PSR will conduct a test of the Emergency Alert System. This is only a test. ...


http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=nFJ9aS8KWf8

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=BquAWUkimrs (not a test)

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=NRxrCBvt7TM

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=HgAkxVxo9MU

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=cvyINvtLH28

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=4-L1yFqarFE

Quoted from spiffiness

If the world becomes anywhere near as tense as it was with the Cuban Missile Crisis then not only will they need to do regular drills, but US and Canada Civil Defense are going to have to come up with a way to notify people who don't have air-raid sirens in their municipalities, don't watch a lot of live TV or listen to radio.  Could the government broadcast an emergency text message to every cellphone number or email address?

To be honest we can (if we pay the bucks that is).  There is a program set up through telus (and I'm sure others) where a municipality can sign on to create a call list so that in the event of an emergency (evacuation or such) we can send a call out to everyone registered.  

Currently we rely on our local radio but then again in the world of voice tracking good luck.  

Quoted from TommyD

To be honest we can (if we pay the bucks that is).  There is a program set up through telus (and I'm sure others) where a municipality can sign on to create a call list so that in the event of an emergency (evacuation or such) we can send a call out to everyone registered.  

Currently we rely on our local radio but then again in the world of voice tracking good luck.  

No faith in local radio Tommy??  Say it isn't so!!!  

Quoted from CRS

No faith in local radio Tommy??  Say it isn't so!!!  

Thought you'd catch that.