FCC, FEMA Schedule 'Net-less EAS Test

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The FCC and FEMA will hold an August test of the emergency alert system (EAS) focused on radio and TV, though it will be conducted using FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS).

In a joint statement the agencies said the test will be held Aug. 7 at 2:20, and will be a test to "evaluate the readiness of the national alerting capability in the absence of internet connectivity," which is how the system has operated for most of its existence, but now must target an increasingly a net-focused audience.

The test will include radio, broadcast TV, cable and satellite operators, should be accessible to those with disabilities via audio and text crawl.

The test will not include alerts on wireless phones.

John Eggerton
John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.