Exactly one year before the 2012 election, Obama FCC schedules first-ever nationwide test of emergency broadcast system

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Last night, just before midnight, C&S commenter "Ten Mile Island" described the FCC's bizarre demands to enact the country's first-ever nationwide test of the emergency broadcasting system.

Tonight, broadcasters across the country found out about a new, federal requirement.

On November 9th, the broadcasters and cable operators of this nation, will be airing the first national test of the Emergency Activation System. The message will be aired as an "EAN," the code for an Emergency Activation Notification.

Tonight, within hours of this post, broadcasters and cable operators learned, for the first time, that the requirements for those federally licensed operators, are required to have a new "EAS Handbook" at their individual control points. So, for more than 15,000 operations, we will be required to have, on-hand, a new document, that none of us has ever heard of before tonight.

Additionally, unknown before this evening, all broadcasters and cable operators are required to list information about their operations;

None of this was known to any of us before this evening. There was no process.

I've gone through the registration process. But there are literally thousands upon thousands of broadcasters and cable operators who will learn of this tomorrow. There will be thousands of broadcasters and cable operators who will never see this requirement pass their desks before the test, November 9th.

Why?

Because the process was entirely avoided. Is it legal? As a broadcaster, duh, yes. We live on the string pulled by Uncle Sam. Broadcasters have no rights. Only responsibilities. Is it fair? Who said anything in life is fair. Is it gentlemanly?

Are you kidding? Democrats and their stooges gentlemanly? Are you taking drugs?

Not to worry: it's just coincidental that this date is almost precisely one year to the day before the 2012 presidential election.

As an aside, can you imagine the hue and cry had Bush 43 tried this sort of thing?

If you're not just a wee bit concerned with the timing of this test, you're not paying attention.