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IrelandNovember 17 blackout rumor confuses an alert test with a power cut
José López Zamorano says the scheduled U.S. exercise concerns broadcast alerts, not electricity, internet service or cellphone warnings.
MexicoWhy this story? One of MILENIO's most watched videos since yesterday, with 176,165 views.
MILENIO: The Mexican news channel and newspaper of Grupo Multimedios. 8.3M subscribers and 7.7B views.
¿Habrá un apagón mundial el próximo diecisiete de noviembre del 2026?
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Things we can learn from the video
Press to jump
- 0:52López Zamorano identifies the event as an emergency-alert exercise, not a global power cut.
- 1:34He gives a one-minute test time of 2:20 p.m. in Washington, interrupting radio and television broadcasts.
- 2:32He says cellphone alerts, internet service and electricity supplies are not part of this exercise.
- 3:25He attributes the rumor's spread to attention-seeking social posts and draws a comparison with Y2K fears.
A warning message interrupting television is not the same thing as the electricity going out. That distinction is at the center of Mexico's MILENIO report on social-media rumors of a supposed worldwide blackout on November 17.
Speaking remotely from the United States, contributor José López Zamorano says the event behind the rumor is a routine emergency-alert exercise organized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission. He says there is no indication of a planned power interruption in either the United States or Mexico.
According to his explanation, the test is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. Washington time and will last a minute. Radio, television and satellite broadcasts will briefly carry familiar alert sounds and an on-screen message in English and Spanish identifying it as a test. The message will require no action from the public.
The purpose, López Zamorano explains, is to check that broadcasting systems can relay warnings during emergencies such as hurricanes or terrorist attacks. Unlike the 2023 exercise, he says, this test will not send alerts to cellphones. Neither internet service nor the electricity supply is part of the exercise he describes.
The upload is titled "¿Habrá un apagón mundial el próximo diecisiete de noviembre del 2026?", meaning "Will there be a global blackout on November 17, 2026?" It drew roughly 176,000 views since yesterday.
López Zamorano attributes the alarm to social-media posts seeking attention and clicks, rather than to an announced shutdown. Near the end of the segment, he compares the circulating fears with the anxiety surrounding Y2K and the arrival of the year 2000.
The US agency that coordinates disaster response when local and state authorities lack sufficient resources. It is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
More on Wikipedia ›An independent US government agency that regulates radio, television, satellite, cable and other communications. Its responsibilities include public safety and homeland security.
More on Wikipedia ›Published on Trari
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- Video published
- November 13, 2026
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The report was among Mexico's most-watched news videos since yesterday.
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What does FCC stand for?
The Federal Communications Commission is the U.S. communications regulator named in the report.