National Test of Integrated Public Alert and Warning System to be held on Oct. 4, 2023
A National Test of the Federal Communications Commission's Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) will be held on Oct. 4, 2023 at 2:20 PM Eastern. Alerts will be directed to all cell phones and electronic devices during the test.
The national test will consist of two portions, testing Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) capabilities. Both tests are scheduled to begin at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 4, 2023.
The EAS portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions. This will be the seventh nationwide EAS test.
The WEA portion of the test will be directed to all consumer cell phones. This will be the third nationwide test, but the second test to all cellular devices. The test message will display in either English or in Spanish, depending on the language settings of the wireless handset.
The purpose of the Oct. 4 test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level.