AT&T U-verse customers in Georgia and elsewhere across the country got an alarming but erroneous message on their TV screens Friday morning implying that there was a national emergency.
A message was flashed on the screen that said, in part, “This station has interrupted its regular programming at the request of the White House to participate in the Emergency Alert System.”
The alert also warned customers not to make phone calls, saying that telephone lines “should be kept open for emergency use.”
Customers reported that their televisions then switched automatically to the local NBC station.
“Earlier today, U-verse TV customers may have received an Emergency Alert notification,” an AT&T spokesman said in a statement sent to NBC News. “We confirmed that there is no emergency at this time and we are investigating why this occurred. We apologize for any inconvenience.”
In Austin, Texas, another area affected by the errant message, AT&T spokeswoman Briana Gowing told the American-Statesmen, “we’re trying to get this problem fixed as quickly as possible.”
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