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EAS Participants Must File FCC Form One by October 3, 2025

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The FCC’s rules require that all Emergency Alert System (EAS) Participants update their identifying information in the EAS Test Reporting System (ETRS) annually.  Accordingly, the FCC has released a Public Notice announcing that the deadline for updating and submitting the ETRS Form One for 2025 will be Friday, October 3, 2025.

For broadcasters, EAS Participants include full power radio and TV broadcast stations, including Class D noncommercial educational FM stations, and low power FM stations, program-originating FM booster stations, and low power TV stations that are not operating as TV translators.  Stations must file a Form One even if they are silent pursuant to a grant of Special Temporary Authority.

The following types of stations are exempt from this filing requirement:

  • TV translator stations
  • FM translator or booster stations that only rebroadcast the programming of a local radio station
  • Stations that operate as satellites or repeaters of a hub station (or of a common studio or control point if there is no hub station) which rebroadcast 100% of the programming of that hub station, common studio, or control point.  The hub station, common studio, or control point will still need to file its own Form One, however.

The Public Notice states that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will not be conducting a nationwide test this year, so stations will only be filing a Form One, and not a Form Two or Form Three, which are used when reporting on a national EAS test.  The last nationwide test was conducted nearly two years ago, on October 4, 2023.

Form One filers should review the FCC’s Public Notice  as well as the Form One Filing Guide and Frequently Asked Questions for information about using the ETRS, and consult their state’s EAS Plan before responding to the EAS operational area and monitoring assignments prompts.

To file, EAS Participants will need the FCC username and password associated with the FCC Registration Number(s) (FRN) of the entity(ies) for which they are filing.  Users who have not previously created a username may do so by visiting the User Registration System.  Completing the FRN and Facility ID fields (for broadcasters) or Physical System ID (PSID) fields (for cable systems) will often pre-populate the Form One with some of the relevant information, but filers should review any pre-populated information to ensure it is accurate.

Filers should visit the main ETRS page to file their Form One well in advance of the October 3 deadline in case they encounter any filing portal errors that require time to resolve.  If you have questions or need help filing your Form One, please contact a member of Pillsbury’s Communications Practice Group.