The first national test of the U.S.A.'s Emergency Alert System is scheduled for Wednesday, November 9 and all participants of the system are required to participate. The participants include TV stations, radio stations, cable TV systems, satellite TV systems, and wireline (telephone line) video systems. Participants classified as non- participating national sources are required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission (the FCC) to participate in the national test, too, even though they may choose not to relay national alerts at other times.
The test is scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM (Central) on November 9 and last about three minutes, which would be longer than a regular monthly test of the Emergency Alert System. The maximum limit for all other alerts, including alerts issued during tests, of the Emergency Alert System is two minutes.
References:
Emergency Alert System Nationwide Test