Filing Deadline TODAY for Next National EAS Test

posted on 7.01.2019

- FCC’s Pai Lays Groundwork for EEO Review

July 3^rd is the deadline for all broadcasters to complete Form One in the 2019 EAS Test Reporting System (ETRS). This is the first step in the lead-up to the next nationwide EAS test on Aug. 7 which is distinct from previous tests in that it relies solely on the over-the-air network of FEMA-designated Primary Entry Point stations to assess how well the system can function absent Internet connectivity. Previous tests relied on the IP-based Integrated Public Alert Warning System (IPAWS).

The Aug. 7 test is slated for 2:20PM (Eastern), with a backup date set for Aug. 21 in case of a major weather event like a hurricane. The test will use the National Periodic Test (NPT) event code and be geotargeted using the All-US (000000) geocode.

Broadcasters attending the TAB Show in Austin Aug. 7-8 will have an opportunity to complete Form Two, the “day of test” report, onsite in a special meeting room designated exclusively for this purpose. TAB has rescheduled the start of technical sessions on Aug. 7 to ensure delegates have an opportunity to complete this task with ample time.

More Details on EAS Test Reporting Requirements

FCC Launches EEO Enforcement Review
When the FCC eliminated the EEO Midterm Report earlier this year, Chairman Ajit Pai committed to the two Democratic commissioners that the FCC would launch a proceeding on the effectiveness of the FCC’s EEO enforcement efforts.

Following up on that commitment, the FCC on June 21 released its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the subject. Separate statements by Democratic commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks can be found at the end of that document.

TAB’s FCC legal counsel, Scott Flick with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, notes that the text of the NPRM itself is fairly brief and neutral. 

“Importantly,” Flick says, “it asks not only how the FCC might improve its enforcement of EEO, but whether there are ‘elements that should be removed from the program because they are not effective?’

“The main purpose of the NPRM appears to be to create a forum to debate the effectiveness of the EEO Rule and how it might be improved.”

Flick notes that the NPRM doesn’t merely presume that more stringent EEO requirements would be an improvement, and as part of the Paperwork Reduction Act analysis, requests comment on “how we might ‘further reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees’.” 

TAB, which has led the fight against unconstitutional and otherwise onerous regulatory burdens placed by the FCC on local broadcasters in this arena, will be filing comments in the proceeding.   Comment deadlines won’t be known until the NPRM is published in the Federal Register.

Learn more about these efforts in my June 26 TABulletin report.

Questions? Contact TAB’s Oscar Rodriguez or call (512) 322-9944.

---