FCC Issues Aug. 27 EAS Test Reporting System 〈ETRS〉 Form One Requirement

posted on 7.16.2018

The FCC issued notice this month that all EAS participants must file EAS Test Reporting System (ETRS) Form One by Aug. 27.  While no date for a 2018 national test of EAS has been set, Section 11.61 of the FCC’s rules, EAS Participants must renew their identifying information required by ETRS Form One on a yearly basis.

David Oxenford, an attorney with TAB Associate member law firm Wilkinson Barker Knauer, said Form One “needs to be filed by all radio and TV stations, including LPFM and LPTV stations, unless those LPTV stations simply act as a translator for another station.”  The FCC said “each EAS participant should file a separate copy of Form One for each of its EAS decoders, EAS encoders, or units combining such decoder and encoder functions.”

Attorneys with TAB Associate member law firm Fletcher Heald and Hildreth said the substance of ETRS Form One “is essentially the same as last year and requests identifying information on a participant’s location, its EAS equipment and monitoring assignments, and contact information for EAS purposes.” 

Filers can access ETRS by visiting the FCC’s ETRS page at https://www.fcc.gov/general/eas-test-reporting-system.  Instructional videos and an FAQ regarding registration and completion of the ETRS Form One are available on the ETRS page.

To access the ETRS, filers must use their registered FCC 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.

The FCC is urging stations to review Form One as soon as possible to allow sufficient time for possible corrections.  Oxenford endorses that approach “as it may take some time to locate all of the required information to make sure that any station’s Form One is current and accurate.”  The FCC allows EAS participants 30 days after submission (i.e., on or before Sept. 26) to submit any updates or corrections to their 2018 ETRS Form One filings.

For further information regarding ETRS, stations can contact FCC staffers Austin Randazzo at (202) 418-1462 and austin.randazzo@fcc.gov, or Greg Cooke at (202) 418-2351 and gregory.cooke@fcc.gov.  Filers may contact the CORES Help Desk for assistance with creating a username or resetting a password at CORES.  

The email address is HelpDesk@fcc.gov or by phone at (202) 418-4120.  Filers may contact Media Bureau staff for assistance in completing ETRS Form One at ETRS@fcc.gov.

Questions?  Contact TAB's Michael Schneider or call (512) 322-9944.

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