On Wednesday, October 3, FEMA and the Federal Communications Commission will conduct a nationwide Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) test of the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and the Emergency Alert System (EAS). The WEA portion will start at 2:18 p.m. ET, followed by the EAS portion at 2:20 p.m. ET. The WEA test message will be sent to cell phones that are connected to wireless providers participating in WEA. The test will assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure for distribution of a national message and determine whether technological improvements are needed. This is the first national WEA test and the fourth EAS nationwide test. FEMA.