State EAS Plan

The FCC Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau have announced the filing date for the ETRS Form One is due by February 28th, 2023. This is required to be filed annually but due to delays in testing the National EAS System via a National Periodic Test (NPR) in 2022, the Commission moved the 2022 filing to the new date. The delay was due to continuing Covid-19 issues.

The Commission’s rules require EAS Participants to renew their identifying information “on a yearly basis” by filing an updated Form One in ETRS.

To the extent that this requirement necessitates the filing of Form One within the calendar year 2022, the Bureau finds good cause to waive the rule on its own motion and extend the filing deadline to February 28, 2023.

It is important that EAS Participants confirm that the information they enter is accurate and that they correct any past filing errors.  Extending the filing deadline for a brief period will afford EAS Participants additional time to gather the necessary information and will avoid a rush to file before -- or a burden to file during -- the winter holidays.  Second, The Bureau is aware that FEMA does not plan to conduct a nationwide EAS test in the remainder of 2022, nor has FEMA announced a test date for 2023.  Thus, extending the Form One deadline provides time for EAS Participants to collect accurate identifying information before the announcement or conduct of the next nationwide EAS test.   Finally, the extension will enable the Bureau to implement certain technical improvements to ETRS before opening it for filing.  The extension will also enable the Bureau to implement certain technical improvements to ETRS before opening it for filing. The Bureau plans to open ETRS for Form One filings on January 3, 2023 and will provide details by future Public Notice.

As a reminder, the EAS Test Reporting System (ETRS) is an online filing system by which EAS Participants submit information regarding their performance on nationwide tests of the EAS that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Commission conduct regularly to assess the reliability and effectiveness of the nation’s alert and warning infrastructure.