On Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 2:20 p.m. EDT, every TV, radio and cellphone in the United States should blare out the distinctive, jarring electronic warning tone of an emergency alert. "The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is prepping a mid-week wake-up call with a test of its Emergency Alert Systems. At around 2:20 p.m. ET on Oct. 4, 2023, FEMA and the FCC will conduct a national Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) test, which is intended to make sure that Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and the Emergency Alert System (EAS) are ready to respond in a real emergency..." https://www.pcmag.com/news/get-ready-national-emergency-alert-system-test-set-for-oct-4
Federal law requires the systems be tested at least once every three years. The last nationwide test was Aug. 11, 2021. "Final determination of population reach for the EAS test will come from data collected by the EAS Test Reporting System. Analysis will be done by FEMA and the FCC, and results could take approximately four months". (Source: Fema press release of national emergency alert test results)
