On Wednesday, October 4, the U.S. government set off a nationwide Wireless Emergency Alert. The test happened in order to ensure that the public could effectively be notified of emergencies as a whole. All phones were set to go off at 2:20 pm ET but some people received alerts starting as early as 2:17 pm ET. The alert was harmless and was not intended to spark panic. The government is now more aware of the reliability of a nationwide alert.
