Brooks Pierce partner Stephen Hartzell was recently quoted by TV Technology in an article about the upcoming nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) test that will be conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The EAS is designed to notify authorities and send mass messages during emergencies—at both national and local levels—through broadcast, cable, satellite and wireline communications when other ways of reaching the public may be unavailable. On September 27, FCC/FEMA will test this system nationwide for a third time.
Hartzell, having worked with the previous tests, is optimistic that this upcoming trial run of the system will have fewer complications. In the article, he advised broadcasting stations on how to prepare for the EAS test.
“Stations should prep for this year’s nationwide EAS test in a manner similar to last year’s. There’s a new EAS Handbook [2017 version] that stations need to complete and become familiar with, [and] there’s the fundamental matter of making sure that your station’s EAS gear is functional and complies with the latest FCC rules, including recognition of the NPT (National Periodic Test) and ‘six zeroes’ codes,” said Hartzell.
