The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (Bureau) has provided notice to all Emergency Alert System (EAS) Participants that the Federal Emergency Management Agency in collaboration with the FCC, will conduct a nationwide test of EAS on September 27, 2017 at 2:20 p.m. EST. If the test must be rescheduled, the secondary test date will be October 4, 2017. All EAS Participants, which includes analog radio and television stations, wired and wireless cable television systems, digital broadcast systems, digital television broadcast stations, Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service, digital cable and digital audio broadcasting systems, and wireline video systems, are required to participate in this nationwide test and be prepared to participate on both the primary and alternate test dates. The Bureau also provides notice that the EAS test reporting system (ETRS) is open and EAS Participants must complete the 2017 ETRS Form One on or before August 28, 2017. Finally, the Bureau has released a revised EAS Operating Handbook which must be in place by the 2017 nationwide EAS test.
