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Emergency Communications: The
Emergency Alert System (EAS) and All-
Hazard Warnings
The Emergency Alert System (EAS) - perhaps the most visible of America's
warning systems - was not used for emergency communications after the terrorist
attacks of September 11, 2001. There is interest, but limited action to-date, within
the federal government to develop a single, all-hazard warning system that would be
both broader in reach and scope and more flexible in uses of available technology
than EAS. Recently, EAS technology has been put to use for Amber Alert' programs
administered in some states and communities to aid primarily in the recovery of
abducted children.2 Amber Alert can be a targeted alert and provides an example of
how technology can be used to reach a virtual community within a short time.
EAS Administration
EAS currently sends emergency messages with the cooperation of broadcast
radio and television and most cable television stations. It was created as
CONELRAD (Control of Electromagnetic Radiation) in 1951, as part of America's
response to the threat of nuclear attack. In 1963, the system was opened to state and
local participation. Through most of its existence, the alert system was known as the
Emergency Broadcast System. The name was changed in the 1990's when the
technology was upgraded and automated.
Congress has placed responsibility for civil defense measures that include the
present-day EAS with the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA)3 now part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) has been designated by FEMA to manage
broadcaster involvement in EAS. The FCC currently provides technical standards
and support for EAS, rules for its operation, and enforcement within the broadcasting
and cable industries. FEMA works with the emergency response officials who,
1 Named after Amber Hagerman, kidnaped and murdered in 1996; also referred to as the
AMBER Plan, for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response. websites with
additional information include [http://www.amberalertnow.org],
[http://www.amberalert911.org] and the site of the National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children [http://www.ncmec.org]. (All sites viewed August 11, 2004.)
2 See CRS Report RS21453, Amber Alert Program Technology. The program and policy
issues are discussed in CRS Report RL31655, Missing and Exploited Children: Overview
and Policy Concerns.
3 P.L. 103-337, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995, Title XXXIV -
Civil Defense, Sec. 603 (42 U.S.C. 5196), amending the Federal Civil Defense Act of 1950
(64 Stat 1245).
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Moore, Linda K. Emergency Communications: The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and All-Hazard Warnings, report, September 28, 2004; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc813355/m1/4/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.