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Nationwide test of Emergency Alert System happens today
Austin radio and TV stations, as well as cable and satellite providers, will take part in a first-of-its-kind test of the national Emergency Alert System today at 1 p.m.
The system is designed to allow the president to address Americans in the event of a national emergency, such as the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Local and regional agencies have conducted regular tests for decades, offering details on severe weather and Amber Alerts for missing children, but this will be the first time one has been done at the national level.
For 30 seconds, broadcasters will air audio alerts to ensure the system is functioning properly. TV viewers will see a crawl on their screens displaying text, as well.
“We believe it is a very important test of the technology, as well as area and internal procedures,” said Stewart Vanderwilt, director and general manager of KUT, Austin’s NPR affiliate. “If there are any failures in the technology or procedures, we want them to happen now, when it’s a test and not an actual emergency.”
The broadcast was initially scheduled to last three minutes, but the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency said last week that they had scaled it back to 30 seconds after hearing concerns from broadcasters.
The FCC and FEMA say audio and visual cues will indicate that the broadcast is just a drill, and both agencies caution radio listeners and TV viewers not to call 911 when the test hits America’s airwaves.
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