The FCC approved updates to the Emergency Alert System rules to make EAS alerts delivered over radio and television easier to understand. Broadcasters will now be required to transmit the internet based version of alerts to the public when available instead of the legacy system. The FCC states that the “increased use of Internet-based alerts, in Common Alerting Protocol format, will produce higher-quality audio messages, improve the availability of multilingual alerts, and ensure that more of the alerts displayed on television screens contain all of the information provided by the government. The updated rules will also replace the technical jargon that accompanies certain alerts, including test messages, with plain language terms so that the visual and audio messages are clearer to the public.”
If a CAP version of an alert is available, all EAS Participants are now required to transmit that version rather than the legacy version. To allow sufficient time for the new version to appear, the EAS system will have 10 seconds after receiving its header codes unless they confirm by polling the IPAWS feed that no matching CAP version of the message is available before they send the message.
The changes will also replace terminology of “National Periodic Test” to “Nationwide Test of the Emergency Alert System” and change the originator code from “Primary Entry Code System” to “United States Government” so that new header text of tests would state “The United States Government has issued a Nationwide Test of the Emergency Alert System.”
Silent Notifications
- Radio Amor Inc’s 690 WADS Adsonia CT (Loss of transmitter site)
- Unity Broadcasting’s 1410 WQBQ Leesburg FL (Lightning strike of transmitter)
- Midwest Communications’ 1440 WIBU Paris IL (Lightning strike causing power surge)
- Phoenix Radio Inc’s 1480 WRCK Remsen NY (Lessor evicted)
- Educational Media Foundation’s 870 WFLO Farmville VA (Transmitter failure)
FM Changes
The Estate of Albert Benevides’ 103.5 KAMZ Tahoka TX applies to change COL
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com