(MADISON) The manager of the U-W Madisonâ??s new emergency text-alert system says heâ??s satisfied with todayâ??s first full-scale test of the serviceâ?¦despite just 65-percent of the test calls reaching subscribers.
Lieutenant Michael Newton of the U-W Police Department says at 1:15pm today, 13,470 calls went out to peopleâ??s cell phones whoâ??d signed on for the WiscAlert program. Newton says an â??unusualâ? delay would be 30 minutes or longer, but nearly 2500 people never received the alert .
Newton says that’s because some companies — including U-S Cellular and Virgin Mobile — arenâ??t enabled yet to receive text alerts, but WiscAlert developers will work with them to do so. (10th item.)