On Wednesday, November 9 at 2 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time), FEMA and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will conduct the nation’s first ever Emergency Alert System (EAS) test. The purpose of this test is to help determine if the national-level system will work as designed, should officials ever need to send a national alert. This test will last approximately three minutes and will be seen on all local, cable, and satellite TV stations across the country, as well as radio.
“Atlantic Broadband programming will be temporarily interrupted. However, as soon as the test ends, you will be returned to your regularly scheduled programming” said Dave Dane, Senior Vice President of Operations for Atlantic Broadband. “While we do not anticipate service issues following the test, in some cases customers may need to reboot their digital receiver. There may also be interruptions to DVR recordings in progress at the time of the test” continued Dane.
“Consumers should be aware that this test of the emergency alert system will last three minutes, significantly longer than the traditional :15 second tests they are accustomed to” said Chuck Sorchilla, VP of Technical Operations for Atlantic Broadband. “We don’t anticipate technical issues as a result of the test, our concern is primarily to let the public know about the test, so it doesn’t take them by surprise and lead them to believe there is a national emergency” continued Sorchilla.
To learn more about the national EAS test, visit FEMA at http://www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws/eas_info.shtm or the FCC at http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/emergency-alert-system-nationwide-test
Atlantic Broadband serves more than 150,000 customers in central Pennsylvania, northern Maryland, and West Virginia. Its regional headquarters are in Johnstown, with additional customer service and technical support facilities in Altoona and Uniontown, Pa, and Cumberland, MD. The company purchased the cable operations from Charter Communications in March 2004 and is now ranked as a top 20 cable operator in the United States. Atlantic Broadband is a privately held company with headquarters in Quincy, Massachusetts. The company has over 500 employees and 250,000 customers located in four operating regions: central Pennsylvania, Miami Beach, South Carolina and Maryland/Delaware. Additional information is available at www.atlanticbb.com.
