FCC, FEMA Want Help Publicizing EAS Test

With the first-ever nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System less than one week away, the leaders of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) sent an open letter to all stakeholders, including governors, federal legislators, broadcasters, news networks and other organizations, asking for their continued help in educating their respective communities about the test. Although the EAS is decades old and often tested and used at the local level, it has never before been tested on a nationwide scale. This first test will occur at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 9. The test will occur simultaneously across the U.S. and its territories and will last approximately 30 seconds, after which regular programming will resume. The test will look and sound very similar to the local tests of the Emergency Alert System that occur frequently.