ABSTRACT
The purpose of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) is to enable the President of the United States to speak directly to the public over broadcast and cable channels during a national emergency. A secondary purpose is to enable state and local government leaders to speak directly to the public during state and local emergencies. The EAS requirements are described in Part 11 of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Rules [1]. The specific details outlined in this chapter are current as of the November 10, 2005, release of the FCC Report and Order in EB Docket No. 04-296 (“In the Matter of Review of the Emergency Alert System”).1 This chapter analyzes the EAS from five different perspectives:
• EAS responsibilities of individual broadcasters • Flow of messages within the EAS network • Methods used to generate the EAS signal • Coding structure of the digital message • EAS transmission via the radio data system (RDS)
Participation in the EAS by broadcasters, cable systems, and satellite systems is voluntary, although entities that opt not to participate must receive prior approval from the FCC. Broadcasters, cable systems, and satellite sys-
tems that opt not to participate are required to cease transmissions during times of national emergency when the EAS is activated. These stations are called nonparticipating national (NN) stations.
