Whatever Happened to CONELRAD?

Federal Communications Commission ^ | March 25, 2002 | FCC

[pttttt]

THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM (EAS)      

History 

"This is a test of the Emergency Alert System—this is only a test…"

You will occasionally hear or see these words on your local television or cable station.

In 1951, President Harry Truman established CONELRAD (Control of Electromagnetic Radiation) as the first national alerting system. Under CONELRAD, radio stations were required to broadcast only on certain frequencies during an emergency alert. This prevented an enemy from attacking by using transmissions from broadcast stations as a guide for their target.

CONELRAD later became the "Emergency Broadcast System" (EBS). The EBS was designed to provide the President with a means to address the American people in the event of a national emergency. Through the EBS, the President had access to thousands of broadcast stations to send an emergency message to the public.

In 1994, to overcome some of the limitations of the older EBS system, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) replaced the EBS with the Emergency Alert System (EAS). The major difference between EBS and EAS is the method used to alert broadcast stations about an incoming message.

The EAS provides not only the President, but national, state and local authorities, with the ability to give emergency information to the general public via broadcast stations, cable and wireless cable systems. While participation in national EAS alerts is mandatory for these providers, state and local area EAS participation is voluntary.  

The FCC and EAS 

The FCC designed the EAS in cooperation with the National Weather Service (NWS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Each of these agencies plays an important role. The FCC provides information to broadcasters, cable system operators, and other participants in the EAS regarding the technical and operational requirements of the EAS. Additionally, the FCC ensures that state and local EAS plans conform to the FCC’s rules and regulations. The NWS provides emergency weather information to alert the public about dangerous conditions. FEMA provides direction for state and local emergency planning officials to plan and implement their roles in the EAS.

The EAS uses state-of-the-art digital technology to distribute messages. The system provides state and local officials with a method to quickly send out important local emergency information targeted to a specific area. Also, the EAS digital signal is the same signal that the National Weather Service (NWS) uses on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Radio (NWR). This allows NWR signals to be decoded by the EAS equipment at broadcast stations and cable systems. Broadcasters and cable operators can then send NWS weather warning messages almost immediately to their audiences.

EAS allows broadcast stations, cable systems, participating satellite companies, and other services to send and receive emergency information quickly and automatically, even if these facilities are unattended. EAS was designed so that if one link in the dissemination of alert information is broken, the entire system does not fail. EAS also automatically converts to any language used by the broadcast station or cable system.

Also, specially equipped consumer products, such as televisions, radios, pagers and other devices, can decode EAS messages. Consumers can program these products to "turn themselves on" for the messages they want to receive.

Finally in 1997, EAS replaced the weekly (on-air) "only a test" broadcast notifications used by the EBS with less obtrusive weekly internal tests and monthly on-air tests. All AM, FM, and TV broadcast stations, as well as cable systems, with 10,000 or more subscribers, use these procedures.

The ultimate goal of the EAS is to disseminate emergency information as quickly as possible to the people who need it.

To receive information on this and other FCC consumer topics through the Commission’s electronic subscriber service, click on www.fcc.gov/cgb/emailservice.html.  

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/

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last reviewed/updated on 03/25/02 

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[pttttt]

Did the EAS broadcast anything on 9/11? I don't remember hearing anything. One would think it would be playing a part in homeland security - maybe it is.

[Moose4]

I never heard an EAS alert on 9/11, come to think of it.

The only non-weather-related time I've ever heard the EBS/EAS activated was sometime in the '70s, when I was a kid growing up in Virginia. The Governor activated it to broadcast that we had an "energy emergency" and that we were going to ration gas based on odd/even days and odd/even license plate numbers.

Other than that, I've only heard it used for "emergency preparadness week" tests and weather alerts like tornado warnings--and nowadays, it seems those are mostly done with those annoying little crawls and county outline maps on the bottom of the TV screen. I'm a ham radio geek so I'm usually listening to NOAA weather radio in those situations anyhow.

Now I am old enough (barely!!) to remember AM radios with those two little civil defense markings on the frequency scale. I guess those were the designated CONELRAD/EBS frequencies?

}:-)4

[buckalfa]

Designated radio and television stations in WV are part of
the EBS and still do "tests". However, weather related alerts are the only events I can remember the system being
activated for.

[Moonmad27]

Nothing heard on 9/11, for all the hours my office listened to the radio that day. I remember a few years back in Houston the talk station accidentally played the "there IS a REAL alert" message instead of the "just a test" one by accident. It was a shock to hear. The mistake created a real furor! Thanks for that history lesson, reminding us of things forgotten. By the way, wouldn't Conelrad make a great screen name?!

[pttttt]

By the way, wouldn't Conelrad make a great screen name?!

Gosh, yes. Wish I'd thought of it.

[Ben Hecks]

"Now I am old enough (barely!!) to remember AM radios with those two little civil defense markings on the frequency scale. I guess those were the designated CONELRAD/EBS frequencies?"

640 and 1240 as I remember.

[NEW YORKCITYGOPMAN]

Well actually, it would now sound like this:

"This is an actual emergency. Had it just been a test................."

[Lower55]

I wish you had, too. ptttttttttt