Broadcasters must submit their forms to the FCC by next Tuesday, Dec. 27, detailing their experience with the national EAS test.
The FCC had hoped broadcasters would pre-file some of their station identification information before the test, and then on Nov. 9 answer a simple “yes” or “no” to the question of whether they received the test. That would leave subsequent information as to what each station actually experienced regarding the test to be submitted post-test.
However, the agency could not require e-filing. That means both paper reports and e-reports are due by the end of the business day on the 27th. Not filing could potentially result in enforcement action, though agency officials, including Chairman Julius Genachowski, have repeatedly said the whole exercise was not meant to be punitive.
In a related note, Richard Rudman tells Radio World that FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute has released a new online course that provides training for emergency managers and others on the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.
“Coupled with upcoming Congressional action, this training will be very helpful in getting more local and state emergency managers to partner with [local and state governments] to improve EAS,” he writes.