Nationwide EAS System Test 11.17.26

By Mohave County - Nov 13, 2026

Today, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (Bureau) of the Federal

Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) provides notice to all Emergency Alert System (EAS) Participants and the public that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the FCC, will conduct a nationwide test of the EAS on November 17, 2026.  If conditions on that date require the rescheduling of the test, it will be conducted on December 3, 2026.

I.          Nationwide EAS Test

FEMA will transmit the nationwide test of the EAS at 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time (ET), on November 17, 2026, using the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS).  The test will be disseminated in English and Spanish as a Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) message using the Nationwide Test of the Emergency Alert System (NPT) event code.  The test message audio and text, which is designed to be identical to the greatest extent possible, is as follows:  “This is a nationwide test of the

Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 2:20 to 2:50 hours ET. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.”

The Bureau encourages EAS Participants to take steps, in coordination with their State Emergency Communications Committees, in preparation for this test, such as:

  • Ensuring that a copy of the EAS Operating Handbook is located at normal duty positions, or EAS equipment locations, and is otherwise immediately available to operators;
  • Reviewing the EAS Operating Handbook for the actions to be taken by operators upon receipt of the test alert, and tailoring any actions as necessary that are specific to the EAS Participants’ facilities;
  • Reviewing their State EAS Plan for monitoring assignments and ensuring that EAS equipment is accurately configured to monitor those sources;
  • Updating EAS equipment software and firmware to the most recent version; and
  • Manually synchronizing EAS equipment clocks to the official time provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology if an EAS Participant’s equipment does not automatically synchronize to an Internet time source.

Members of the public and interested stakeholder organizations that are in a position to observe test results in their communities can provide useful feedback on the nationwide test, including any problems observed or any complications in the delivery of the EAS message during the nationwide test by reporting their observations to the Public Safety Support Center at https://www.fcc.gov/general/publicsafety-support-center.

                A.         EAS Test Reporting System Filing Deadlines

All EAS Participants are required to participate in the nationwide EAS test and make required filings in the Commission’s EAS Test Reporting System (ETRS).  

  • All EAS Participants must submit their annual ETRS Form One for calendar year 2026 no later than October 30, 2026.
  • All EAS Participants must file ETRS Form Two within 48 hours of the nationwide test. The deadline for Form Two filings is 2:20 pm ET on November 19, 2026, or, if the test is conducted on the alternative date, 2:20 pm ET on December 5, 2026.
  •  All EAS Participants must file ETRS Form Three to provide detailed post-test data within 45 days following the nationwide test, which will be on or before January 4, 2027, or, if the test is conducted on the alternative date, on or before January 18, 2027.

ETRS Forms Two and Three will become available in ETRS on November 17, 2026, at the time of initiation of the 2026 nationwide test.

                B.         Who Must File

All EAS Participants—including Low Power FM stations (LPFM), Class D non-commercial educational FM stations, and EAS Participants that are silent pursuant to a grant of Special Temporary Authority—are required to register and file in ETRS, with the following exceptions:

  • Analog and digital low power television (LPTV) stations that operate as television broadcast translator stations that entirely rebroadcast the programming of other broadcast televisions stations are not required to register and file in ETRS.
  • FM broadcast booster stations and FM translator stations which entirely rebroadcast the programming of other local FM broadcast stations are not required to register and file in ETRS.
  • International broadcast stations are not required to register and file in ETRS.
  • Analog and digital broadcast stations that operate as satellites or repeaters of a hub station (or common studio or control point if there is no hub station) and rebroadcast 100 percent of the programming of the hub station (or common studio or control point) are not required to register and file in ETRS.  However, the hub station (or common studio or control point) is required to register and file in ETRS.

                C.        Accessing ETRS

Filers can access ETRS by visiting the ETRS page of the Commission’s website at https://www.fcc.gov/general/eas-test-reporting-system.[6]  Filers must use their registered FCC Username (Username) that is associated with the FCC Registration Numbers (FRNs) for which they will file.  Filers that have already created a Username for use with another FCC system may access the ETRS with that Username.  Filers that do not remember the password that corresponds with their Username may reset it at https://apps2.fcc.gov/fccUserReg/pages/reset-passwd-identify.htm.  Filers that have not previously created a Username may do so by visiting the User Registration System at https://apps2.fcc.gov/fccUserReg/pages/createAccount.htm.  Filers can associate their Username to an FRN by logging in at https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/userLogin.do and clicking on the appropriate option.  Additional information regarding creating and associating FRNs with a Username can be found on the CORES FAQs page at  https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/publicHome.do?faq=true.

II.        FURTHER INFORMATION

Filers may contact Bureau staff for assistance with ETRS filings via ETRS@fcc.gov. 

For further information regarding the nationwide EAS test, contact George Donato, Associate Division Chief, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, at (202) 418-0729 or george.donato@fcc.gov.

Filers may contact FCC Licensing Support for assistance with creating a Username or other CORES troubleshooting via the web at https://www.fcc.gov/wtbhelp, or by telephone at 1-877-4803201.  The support hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except Federal holidays).

-FCC-

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