Cable customers startled by 'Emergency Alerts'

AT&T U-verse users saw a strange alert from the White House: It read "this is an Emergency Action Notification." Viewers were forced to stay tuned to the channel. Customers were also saying that the alert stated it was requested by the White House regarding a national emergency. The message seems to have been sent in error. (Ya think?) Local NBC station KXAN in Austin reported that the alerts were affecting people in cities like Atlanta, Austin, and Detroit.