When the Federal Emergency Management Agency triggers a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System at 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time on Nov. 17, broadcasters should be ready.
That means being able to receive the alert message and retransmit it at once, FEMA officials say.
It will be the first nationwide in three years.
In a webinar previewing the test, FEMA stressed that broadcasters should verify their monitoring sources, CAP connectivity, filters, software, audio levels and immediate NPT relays settings ahead of time.
FEMA, in coordination with the FCC, will originate the test through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), using the event code for a Nationwide Test of the EAS (NPT). It says the Common Alerting Protocol message will be delivered in both English and Spanish.
FEMA outlined the “test logistics and mechanics” of the nationwide test and provided best practices to help broadcasters.
The webinar was hosted by Al Kenyon, IPAWS customer support branch chief, and Jeff Hugabonne, chair of the Connecticut SECC.
The goal of the test, Kenyon said, is to “validate” the nationwide alerting infrastructure while ensuring that the public understands exactly what they are hearing and seeing.
“The nationwide test is a proxy, if you will, for an EAN, and it functions as an overall system-wide proof of performance, and that’s representative of how successful an EAN would be in messaging the public. So needless to say, a nationwide message, were one to be initiated, is extremely urgent for the public to receive rapidly,” he said.
Hugabonne said the most effective measure of readiness for broadcasters can be found in a station’s equipment logs in the form of other tests.
“Those readiness indicators include your weekly cap tests, over-the-air monitoring assignments, equipment logs, recorded audio-all of that provides a clear picture of whether your station is prepared,” Hugabonne said. “Are you receiving those?”
He continued: “That weekly CAP test is especially important for this next nationwide test coming up. If you’re consistently receiving it, your CAP connection is likely healthy. Missing CAP tests? You’re definitely going to want to investigate those.”
He said occasional misses might indicate intermittent connectivity or configuration issues. “You can use the RWT and RMT as a kind of early warning system to find out how to correct any issues.”
However, a successful log entry can create a bit of false confidence for broadcasters, Hugabonne continued. “Your log may show that it has received an event, but the alert could be noisy, distorted, low and level, or otherwise unusable. So the best practice is to listen to those recorded MP3s,” he recommended.
“Take a few minutes during your log review and check for hum, check for distortion, static, weak signal. If levels are too high, too low, treat those as issues that need to be fixed. A logged event isn’t the finish line. A good intelligible alert is,” he said during the webinar.
These readiness principles apply regardless of the make and model of your EAS equipment, Hugabonne said. “Verify that the unit is current, connected, correctly filtered and actively monitoring sources and configured for immediate NPT relay.”
The presentation noted that differences in CAP polling times might cause a broadcast station to receive the alert over the air rather than from FEMA’s CAP feed. “There are polling intervals from when alerts are posted and when your device pulls it down. That’s not a flaw,” Kenyon said. “It’s just the way it works. It’s that redundant capability kicking in.”
One of the strengths of EAS is that it was designed to function in both normal and degraded operating conditions, Kenyon said. This keeps in place a broadcast-based backup pathway that doesn’t depend on internet connectivity.
“If connectivity to IPAWS is disrupted during an outage, a cyber incident, power disruption or equipment issue, EAS can fail back to the signed over-the-air monitoring sources,” he said.
Kenyon reminded broadcasters they must also comply with the FCC’s EAS Test Reporting System or ETRS. EAS participants must submit their annual ETRS Form One for this year no later than Oct. 30. Forms Two and Three will be available in the system on Nov. 17, at the time of the initiation of the 2026 nationwide test.
ETRS Form Two will then be due within 48 hours.
“Form Three requires additional post-test information —some qualitative information and any comments you might have about the test quality and challenges you might have experienced,” Kenyon said. “The FCC reviews those answers. We review those answers, and we use that to try and improve the system going forward, so fill out those questions.”
ETRS Form Three with post-test data must be submitted within 45 days, on or before Jan. 4, 2027.
The presenters said that live monitoring of the nationwide test would be a “good idea” but acknowledged that it might be a challenge where resources are limited.
“If possible, have a station engineer or designated operator available to monitor the test in real time. That’ll allow you to answer the questions that that come in on FCC ETRS Form Three regarding the qualitative and quantitative aspects of carrying the test, you’ll be able to observe it firsthand and be able to properly answer those questions,” Kenyon said.
The November test is EAS only, meaning it has no Wireless Emergency Alert component. It should last about a minute, according to FEMA officials. It will state clearly that it is a test and that no action is required by the public.
Should a major incident require postponement of the November test, the backup date is Dec. 3, 2027.
This article originally appeared on TV Tech sister brand Radio World.
