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Background
The Emergency
Alert System (EAS) is a national public warning system that
requires TV and radio broadcasters, cable television systems,
wireless cable systems, satellite digital audio radio service (SDARS)
providers, direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service providers, and
wireline video service providers to offer to the President the
communications capability to address the American public during a
national emergency. The system also may be used by state and
local authorities to deliver important emergency information such
as AMBER (missing children) alerts and emergency weather
information targeted to a specific area.
How the EAS Works
The Federal Communications Commission
(FCC), in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's National Weather Service (NWS), implement the
EAS at the national level. Only the President determines when
the EAS will be activated at the national level, and has
delegated the administration of this function to FEMA.
Accordingly, FEMA activates the national EAS, and directs
national EAS tests and exercises. The NWS uses the EAS on a
local and statewide basis to provide the public with alerts and
warnings regarding dangerous weather and other emergency
conditions.
The FCC's role includes prescribing rules
that establish technical standards for the EAS, procedures for EAS
participants to follow in the event the EAS is activated, and EAS
testing protocols. Additionally, the FCC ensures that state and
local EAS plans developed by industry conform to the FCC’s EAS
rules and regulations. The FCC’s goal is to make the EAS capable
of distributing emergency information as quickly as possible to as
many people as possible.
The EAS allows participating providers to
send and receive emergency information quickly and automatically,
even if their facilities are unattended. If one link in the system
for spreading emergency alert information is broken, members of
the public have multiple alternate sources of warning. EAS
equipment also provides a method for automatic interruption of
regular programming, and in certain instances is able to relay
emergency messages in languages other than English.
Along with its capability of providing an
emergency message to the entire nation simultaneously, the EAS
allows authorized state and local authorities to quickly
distribute important local emergency information. A state
emergency manager can use the EAS to broadcast a warning from one
or more major radio stations in a particular state. EAS equipment
in other radio and television stations, as well as in cable
television systems in that state, can automatically monitor and
rebroadcast the warning. Additionally, EAS equipment can directly
monitor the NWS for local weather and other emergency alerts,
which local broadcast stations, cable systems, and other EAS
participants can then rebroadcast, providing an almost immediate
relay of local emergency messages to the public.
Filing a Complaint with the FCC
If you believe EAS rules and procedures are
not being followed, you can file a complaint with the FCC. There
is no charge for filing a complaint. You can file your complaint
using an on-line complaint from found at
esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm. You can also file your
complaint with the FCC’s Consumer Center by e-mailing
fccinfo@fcc.gov; calling
1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL-FCC
(1-888-835-5322) TTY; faxing 1-866-418-0232; or writing to:
Federal Communications
Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554.
What to Include in Your Complaint
The best way to provide all the information
the FCC needs to process your complaint is to complete fully the
on-line complaint form. When you open the on-line complaint form,
you will be asked a series of questions that will take you to the
particular section of the form you need to complete. If you do not
use the on-line complaint form, your complaint, at a minimum,
should indicate:
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your name, address, e-mail address, and
phone number where you can be reached;
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the name and phone number of the company
that you are complaining about and location (city and state) if
the company is a cable or satellite operator;
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television station call sign (WZUE), TV
channel (13), and location (city and state), if applicable;
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date, time, and description of problem.
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For More Information
For more information about EAS, visit
the FCC’s EAS Web page at
www.fcc.gov/pshs/services/eas/. For more information
about AMBER Alerts, see our consumer fact sheet at
www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/AMBERPlan.html. Finally,
for information about other telecommunications issues,
visit the FCC’s Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau Web
site at www.fcc.gov/cgb, or contact
the FCC’s Consumer Center using the information provided
for filing a complaint. |
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Federal Communications Commission
