Why are EAS required weekly tests necessary?

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Doesn’t spamming TV viewers with a non-emergency alert every single week make them much more likely to ignore the alert when an emergency occurs? Why do the tests need to be done every single week, rather than once every few months?

In: Engineering

3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

There is a chance of the “cry wolf effect” taking its toll on people who hear the alarm too much but that’s primarily handled by just informing the public that it is indeed a test and not spamming it every day. The FCC has to make it a compliance rule for networks to keep their special alert broadcast tools maintained otherwise they would have no real incentive to do so. If they don’t then if a real emergency happens and they find that their equipment has not been maintained through routine testing then people’s lives could be in real serious danger.

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