WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau has confirmed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Commission, has selected the day it will conduct a nationwide test of the EAS and Wireless Emergency Alerts.
The date chosen: Wednesday, Aug. 11.
The time: 11:20am Pacific, or 2:20pm Eastern.
There is a backup date of August 25, should there be an unforeseen glitch that prevents the test from occurring on August 11.
All EAS Participants must renew their identifying information in ETRS Form One on or before July 6; the ETRS is now available for the acceptance of 2021 filings.
During the event, a test message will clearly state that the alert is only a test.
FEMA will transmit the EAS portion of the nationwide test through a hierarchical, broadcast-based distribution system, otherwise known as the “daisy chain.” Because the test will be disseminated in this manner, FEMA indicates that “full message text and multilingual messaging will not be available.”
FEMA explains, “[T]he intent of conducting the test in this fashion is to determine the
capability of the [EAS] to deliver messages to the public in the event that dissemination via internet is not available.”
The Media Bureau adds that testing the daisy chain will allow the FCC and FEMA to assess whether the national EAS would perform as designed, if activated, and help to ensure the reliability and effectiveness of broadcast-based alerting as part of our national emergency communications infrastructure.
For further information regarding the nationwide EAS test, contact Maureen Bizhko, Attorney Advisor, Policy and Licensing Division, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, at 202-418-0011 or [email protected]; Rosemary Cabral, Attorney Advisor, Policy and Licensing Division, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, at [email protected]; or Christina Clearwater, Deputy Chief, Policy and Licensing Division, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau at [email protected].
