Chairman Walden Seeks Review Of Emergency Alert Test

House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) says he wants answers about last week's test of the emergency alert system, which was highly promoted and then plagued by reports of problems.

Chairman Walden said on he has scheduled a meeting with federal officials to review the Nov. 9 test. Across the country many people reported that no signal appeared or the transmission was garbled on outlets ranging from radio, TV, and cable. "By many accounts, last week's test had major problems," Chairman Walden said. "In my home state of Oregon, most -- if not all -- stations didn't even receive the signal. He said he has contacted officials at the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Emergency Management Agency to schedule a briefing for the subcommittee's members on Nov 17. "I look forward to hearing where the agencies can relay what worked, what didn't, and where we can go from here to fix it," Chairman Walden said. The FCC and FEMA contend that the test played out exactly as needed.