2021 US EAS Test an Improvement but Has PEP Issues
The 2021 nationwide emergency alert system test showed improvement over the 2019 version, but difficulties with primary entry point stations and low participation by low-power broadcasters affected the results, the FCC reported last week on the Aug. 11 test. The agency also issued a report on the simultaneous wireless emergency alert test (see 2112300045).
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EAS officials told us they agree with the agency’s assessment. “It's a little concerning that there were problems with a half dozen or so PEP stations not receiving or relaying the test,” said National Alliance of State Broadcasters Associations EAS Chair Suzanne Goucher. “The results are encouraging to me and show broadcasters and cable systems are trending in the right direction,” said Alaska State Emergency Communications Committee Chair Dennis Bookey.
It is “critically important” that EAS stations that are widely monitored -- such as PEP stations -- “use testing to ensure their EAS equipment is in reliable working order,” said the FCC. It said participants could address “deficiencies” with “more education, continued training” and communication with state emergency communications committees and other broadcasters.
“Receipt and retransmission rates increased” in 2021 compared with 2019, “while reported monitored source complications markedly decreased,” said the report. The 2021 exercise message reached 89.3% of EAS participants vs. 82.5% in 2019. And 87.1% of participants retransmitted the alert, an improvement over 79.8%. Seven PEP stations (out of 76) reported problems in 2021, while 12 PEP stations experienced “similar complications” in 2019, the agency said.
A nationwide one wasn't done in 2020, and 2021 and 2019 were similar in using only the legacy “daisy chain” method of alerting, wherein station warnings are triggered by monitoring other broadcasters. The internet-based integrated public alert and warning system would also help propagate alerts in a real crisis, but the tests were intended to make sure the nationwide system could function without IP-based assistance. “As observed in 2019, the system would largely perform as designed, and it would reach the vast majority of the public, if activated without the availability of the Internet,” the report said.
Many PEP issues in 2021 involved the feed from iHeart's Premiere Radio Networks, which services several states and didn't broadcast audio during the test, said the report. Premiere and iHeart didn’t comment Monday. Many broadcasters nationwide for EAS alerts monitor Premiere, Sirius XM and NPR because they have national networks. The Federal Emergency Management Agency “is taking measures to improve PEP performance in the future,” said the FCC report. “FEMA is continuing its work" with state emergency communications committees (SECC) chairs "in several states to conduct state-level tests on a monthly basis and station-level tests on a weekly basis through the PEP stations.”
The FCC found a large improvement in audio quality, which Bookey called encouraging. The 2011 nationwide test also used the legacy system, and an audio error caused the emergency message to loop and create an echo that led some stations to not pass on the message. In 2019, volume levels in the message affected some stations. “I was most pleased with the audio quality results coming in as good as they did,” Bookey said. “One of the many downfalls of the daisy chain system is the audio quality of a message recorded and rebroadcast multiple times.”
“The low participation rate of Low Power broadcasters reduced the overall participation rate of broadcasters,” said the report. Of 1,509 TV broadcasters expected to file test reports that didn’t,1,045 -- 69.3% -- were LPTVs, the report said. For LPFM, it was 28.3%. Many low-powers are “full volunteer operations” and aren’t aware of the regulations, said Bookey.
“Meeting and completing filing requirements is of great importance -- especially with respect to matters such as EAS tests,” said LPTV Broadcasters Association Executive Director Michael Lee. "The report highlights the importance of having a strong working relationship between the FCC and LPTV licensees," said Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance Executive Director Lee Miller. "The FCC has historically struggled to reach LPTV licensees -- many of whom do not have traditional regulatory counsel." Both groups said they're working to build awareness among LPTV broadcasters.
Arkansas SECC Chair Chris Daniel said the way EAS simulations go is highly situational to each region, due to reception and terrain difficulties. “It’s a moving target and always has been.” He said the agency shouldn’t move away from the daisy chain because internet availability in many rural areas is spotty. Internet-based alerts and wireless alerts are much more vulnerable to going down in a disaster, or even to being accidentally disabled by recovery efforts, a condition he called “backhoe fade.” “Some places just get no service,” Daniel said.