Amber Alerts

Pretty sure Amber alerts via TV are government mandated and controlled. Cox just has to have a open door for when they broadcast. There are opt outs for cell phones, but not TV. Its not just Cox though. See thread here of a similar complaint on Comcast forum; http://forums.xfinity.com/t5/XfinityTV-and-Equipment/Amber-alert-opt-out/td-p/1720465

If you want it change you will have to start by contacting your congress person but your going to have a uphill battle changing federal law. They take a month just to tie their shoes.

Hi LABete,

Health Edge is correct. Cox does not control the severe weather and Amber alerts that are broadcast through the Emergency Alert System (EAS). This system was set up by the federal government and is used by state and local authorities to deliver important emergency information, and all television providers are required to participate. When an alert is issued, special equipment automatically interrupts the cable signal to display the emergency information, so the system is completely automated. You can learn more about the EAS system at www.fcc.gov/guides/emergency-alert-system-eas.

Hi, Becky,

Thanks for the response.  I read through the EAS guidelines, and it looked to me like Cox is only required to broadcast the President's EAS messages in case of National Emergencies  and the EAS tests to insure the system is working.  The NWS and State/Local Authorities may use the EAS for Severe Weather Alerts and Amber Alerts, but wording around breaking into programming to broadcast these alerts seemed voluntary (i.e., "can," "may") to me. 

I understand that if Cox's current equipment is set up to automatically break in and re-broadcast everything that comes across the EAS, it would be impossible to provide an opt-out of these annoying interruptions to programming, but perhaps as equipment is improved, Cox could request such an ability. I have the ability to opt-out on my iPhone, so why not my Cable, after all?

In these days of calling everything a crisis, I expect these interruptions to only get more frequent and senseless. In LA, authorities seem to have already bought into Custody Disputes=Amber Alerts and Rain=Severe Weather Alerts. In the near future, it might be a differentiating customer service factor for Cox to allow customers to opt-out of all but high-level Emergencies.

Anyway, I realize this all depends on future EAS equipment enhancements, so  thanks, again!

LABete said:
Anyway, I realize this all depends on future EAS equipment enhancements,

Not quite. I imagine they have the technology(just look at cell phone amber alerts), but its the very rigid procedures that dictate adaptability. The EAS has to be standardized, much like the phone system, so the process is seamless and fault free. What Cox does NOT want is the EAS door not working and them getting blamed for a 100 people dying in a Tornado. The government does want you to have the right to Opt out of TV EAS because they want that as a emergency contact "no matter what". I understand you not liking that, but your fight is with the government, not Cox.

Also, I would like to bring up the point of empathy. Considering the possibility it could help return a child to their loved ones, I see the inconvenience to be small in comparsion. 

Hi, Health Edge, 

Thanks for your responses. I know my opinion differs with yours, but I really don't think I need to have a fight with anyone, much less the Government.

After reading the FCC EAS document and the FCC AMBER Alert Guide, I think Cox's  future ability to offer a Customer Opt-Out of Amber Alerts and even NWS Alerts might be a possibility. Of course, Cox would have to decide if that made business sense to them. The Government is only requiring the EAS System to be available and working for the President to issue National Emergency Alerts. The Amber Alerts and NWS Alerts seem to be voluntarily broadcast.

The funny thing is, Amber Alerts have been around for years, but I have only just started having the interruptions in the past few months; hence, my OP.

The reason I requested that Cox consider a Customer Opt-Out is that I feel that each of us has different communication needs and preferences for Non-National Emergency Alerts. I would never want to keep you from getting Alerts you wanted to receive, but I have no need for them to interrupt my TV viewing. It is really not a question of empathy in my mind; it is a question of effectiveness. I believe that the right message at the right time through the right medium is what we need to strive for in this age of over-communication.

Interrupting my broadcast for a 5-minute Amber Alert at 9:30 PM is not going to help the authorities locate the parents that took their child from Social Services. TBH, I'm not even sure where my empathy lies in that situation--there is probably at least 3 sides to that story. Anyway, I received a much more useful text about the situation on my iPhone, which might have been helpful today had the child not already been found safe and the Amber Alert canceled.

As far as the NWS Severe Weather Alerts are concerned, I also get those on my iPhone but would probably also Opt In on Cox--unless they really go crazy this winter with the Rain=Severe Weather Alert during what might actually finally be a rainy season! BTW, if there were a Tornado in my area it would be such a freak event, I'm sure the NWS would never see it coming, much less broadcast an Alert about it.  Earthquakes are our things, and I have yet to see any EAS interruptions about those when they hit out of nowhere! I wouldn't mind Opting In on an Impending Earthquake Alert!