Get Ready for the Annual EAS Test August 7

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced that the next annual test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) will take place on August 7, 2019 at 2:20 p.m. (EDT), with August 21, 2019 as a back-up date if weather or other circumstances preclude conducting the test on the initial date. The test message will use the National Periodic Test (NPT) event code and be geo-targeted using the All-US (000000) geocode. This year, FEMA plans to originate the annual EAS test via the legacy EAS system composed of the FEMA-designated Primary Entry Point (PEP) facilities. FEMA’s goal is to determine the capability of the EAS system in the event that the internet is not available. Broadcasters should make the public aware that the full EAS message text and multilingual messaging will not be available due to the process to be used for the upcoming test. As in past years, the national EAS test message will look and sound very much like the regular Required Monthly Test (RMT) messages broadcast every month by all radio and television stations.

The FCC has issued specific guidance about the test, requirements to ensure that EAS alerts are accessible to persons with disabilities, and entering test related information in the FCC’s EAS Test Reporting System (ETRS). Broadcasters must file Form Two in ETRS at or before 11:59 p.m. (EDT) on August 7, 2019, and ETRS Form Three on or before September 23, 2019. If you have further questions about the EAS test on August 7, 2019, please contact the following individuals at the FCC: Elizabeth Cuttner, attorney advisor, Policy and Licensing Division, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, at (202) 418-2145 or elizabeth.cuttner@fcc.gov, or Maureen Bizhko, attorney advisor, Policy and Licensing Division, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, at (202) 418-0011 or maureen.bizhko@fcc.gov.