FEMA and the US Federal Communications Commission will run a nationwide Emergency Alert System test on 17 November at 2:20pm Eastern Time. An alternative date of 3 December is reserved if conditions make the first date unsuitable.
FEMA will originate the test through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System as a Common Alerting Protocol message. It will use the Nationwide Test event code, English and Spanish text and audio, and the All-US geocode.
Nearly all licensed radio stations and other EAS participants must take part and file through the EAS Test Reporting System. Form One is due by 30 October, Form Two within 48 hours after the test and the detailed Form Three within 45 days.
The FCC advises stations to review monitoring assignments, update encoder-decoder firmware, check operator procedures and synchronise equipment clocks to official time. The test will expose configuration and relay failures, but national results will not be known until post-test reports are analysed.
