The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a national public warning system that requires broadcasters, cable television systems, wireless cable systems, satellite digital audio radio service (SDARS) providers, and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) providers to provide the communications capability to the President to address the American public during a national emergency. The system also may be used by state and local authorities to deliver important emergency information, such as AMBER alerts and weather information targeted to specific areas.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) along with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service (NOAA) are the federal agencies that determine the implementation of EAS at the federal level.
At the state level, groups of broadcast engineers, technicians and emergency managers are members of each state's State Emergency Communications Committee (SECC). These committees have created plans that have been filed with the FCC that outline the state's procedures and conditions under which the EAS would be activated. These plans may also include each state's schedule of routine monthly tests (RMTs), equipment settings and event codes.