There will be a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System this November.
FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, will conduct a nationwide EAS test on Nov. 17. The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau made the announcement on Wednesday.
All EAS participants — which includes nearly all licensed radio stations in the U.S. — are required to participate in the test and submit required filings in the commission’s EAS Test Reporting System (ETRS). If conditions on that date require rescheduling, the alternate test date is Dec. 3.
This is the first national periodic test since 2023. In the past, those tests have occurred every two years.
Prior to the test, all EAS participants must submit their annual ETRS Form One for calendar year 2026 no later than Oct. 30.
FEMA will transmit the nationwide test at 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time on Nov. 17 using Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, according to the commission. The test will be disseminated in English and Spanish as a Common Alerting Protocol message using the Nationwide Test of the EAS (NPT) event code.
It will be geo-targeted using the All-US (000000) geocode, according to FEMA.
The test message audio and text, which the commission said is designed to be identical to the greatest extent possible, is as follows:
“This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 2:20 to 2:50 hours ET. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.”
Preparation Steps
The bureau encourages EAS participants to take the following preparation steps in coordination with their State Emergency Communications Committees:
- Ensure a copy of the EAS operating handbook is located at normal duty positions or equipment locations and is accessible to operators. A writable PDF version can be found on the bureau’s website.
- Review handbook procedures for actions operators must take upon receipt of the test alert and tailor steps specific to the facility.
- Review state EAS plans for monitoring assignments and ensure equipment is configured to monitor those sources.
- Update EAS equipment software and firmware to the most recent version.
- Ensure equipment clocks are synchronized to official time provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology if not automatically set.
Post-Test Reporting Deadlines
Forms Two and Three will open in ETRS on Nov. 17 at the time of the test:
- ETRS Form Two: Must be filed within 48 hours of the test (by 2:20 p.m. ET on Nov. 19, or Dec. 5 if conducted on the backup date).
- ETRS Form Three: Detailed post-test data must be submitted within 45 days (on or before Jan. 4, 2027, or Jan. 18, 2027, for the backup date).
A user who has a registered username and an FCC registration number can access ETRS through the commission’s website.
Filers who have not previously create a username can do so at its user registration section.
Exemptions
All EAS participants — including Low Power FM (LPFM) stations, Class D noncommercial educational FM stations, and stations operating silent under Special Temporary Authority — are required to register and file in ETRS.
The only exceptions are:
- LPTV stations operating as translators that entirely rebroadcast another broadcast station;
- FM booster and FM translator stations that entirely rebroadcast another local FM station, and
- International broadcast stations
Satellite or repeater stations that rebroadcast 100% of a hub station’s programming, but the primary hub station remains required to file.
The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Modernization Act of 2015 requires FEMA to conduct nationwide tests of the public alert and warning system.
This article originally appeared on TV Tech sister brand, Radio World.
