Officials Optimistic About Sept. 28 Nationwide EAS Test
The stage is set for the Sept. 28 nationwide test of the emergency alert system to go smoothly, said broadcasters, the FCC, Federal Emergency Management Agency officials and EAS test industry officials in interviews this week. Designed to address the shortcomings revealed by the 2011 test (see 1607180062), the 2016 version is expected to be successful, broadcast industry officials and the government agencies that oversee EAS told us. Checking those expectations is why such tests are conducted, said Maine Association of Broadcasters CEO Suzanne Goucher, who chairs the Joint NAB-National Alliance of State Broadcasters Associations EAS Committee.
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“We believe preparations are on track for the nationwide EAS test,” an FCC spokesperson told us. Though this test involves concepts like a nationwide location code and multilingual alerts that weren't part of the 2011 test, those components have been tested individually and are expected to function correctly on the day of the test, FEMA officials told us. The Public Safety Bureau sent out a reminder about the upcoming test last month (see 1608190037).
The only relatively untried aspect of the test is the new EAS reporting system, which is meant to provide more accurate data and be resistant to crashing, FEMA officials said. The test reporting regime required broadcasters to register with the EAS test reporting system (ETRS) by August, and several broadcast industry officials told us they believed the vast majority of broadcasters did so. It's likely that despite a vigorous outreach effort, a small number of broadcasters still aren't aware of the test, FEMA officials conceded. The ETRS also requires broadcaster to file “day of test” information before midnight the day of the test, which could be onerous for some broadcasters, Goucher told us.
The FCC spokesperson said the agency plans to share information about the test outcome with the public, though a specific time frame for the release of that information hasn't been decided. The “day-of test” reports from broadcasters will contain very basic information, and a more detailed post-test report is due to the FCC by Nov. 14, the spokesperson said. That report will include information such as “the time participants received the alert and whether they experienced any complications,” the spokesperson said.
The 2016 test will be the first national use of a new national test code and a new nationwide location EAS code, and the new codes required broadcasters to have updated equipment, FEMA and broadcast officials told us. Some broadcasters had been making do with older EAS equipment that couldn't adapt to the new codes, and the nationwide test requirements caused higher-than-usual purchases of some EAS equipment in recent months, said Harold Price, president of EAS equipment-maker Sage Alerting Systems. Though Price said the “run” on such equipment was modest, it led to some equipment being on back-order. Price said broadcasters will have the back-ordered equipment in time for the test.
Preparations for this simulation are easier than they were for 2011 because of the National Periodic Test code (NPT), Goucher said. Since the NPT was created purely for testing purposes, there's no need for a pretest information campaign to keep the public from mistaking the test code for a real emergency. The 2011 test used a code designed for nationwide emergencies, with no language making it clear it was a test. The September test will be indistinguishable from a normal EAS test to the public, officials told us. Having to coordinate another national information effort amid the enhanced scrutiny of a presidential election year would have made the upcoming test much more difficult, Goucher said.
This month's test will avoid an audio problem that caused looping during the 2011 test by using both the FEMA Integrated Public Alert Warning System and the primary entry point system of daisy chained stations to propagate the alert code, FEMA officials said. The newer system is “more robust,” a FEMA official said.
It's possible the test could be moved to a fallback date of Oct. 5, if a competing real emergency necessitates it. Since the test uses a nationwide code, it's not possible to except particular states or regions. During the 2011 test, Alaska had to drop out of the test because of a real storm emergency, Goucher said, and the 2016 test is scheduled in the middle of Atlantic hurricane season. If a hurricane looks poised to make landfall on Sept. 28, FEMA and the FCC could move the test, a FEMA official said.