Nationwide EAS Test Date Set

FEMA and the FCC will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026, the agencies announced. 

The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau issued a Public Notice setting the date. 

If conditions force a postponement, the backup date is Dec. 3. The test is the first national periodic EAS exercise since 2023. FEMA plans to send the test at 2:20 p.m. ET through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System. 

The message will go out in English and Spanish as a Common Alerting Protocol alert using the Nationwide Periodic Test event code and the All-US geocode. Radio, television and other EAS participants are required to take part. The script, which officials said will match in audio and text as closely as possible, will tell the public it is only a test and that no action is required. 

All EAS participants must file identifying information in the FCC’s EAS Test Reporting System. Form One for 2026 is due on or before Nov. 3. Form Two is due within 24 hours of the test, and Form Three within 45 days afterward. A national test replaces the required weekly and monthly EAS tests in the week and month it occurs. The exercise is meant to measure whether presidential and other national alerts can move quickly and reliably across broadcast, cable and other EAS pathways that form part of the country’s public warning system.