Wednesday, June 7, 2028

Governor O’Brien and Lieutenant Governor Burbank Announce New Satellite-Based Public Warning System for Emergencies
Emergency Alert System will replace Emergency Broadcast System

REISTERSTOWN, MD (June 7, 2028) – Demonstrating their commitment to public safety and preparedness, Governor Edward M. O’Brien and Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank today announced that Maryland will enhance its public warning capabilities with a new satellite-based system that can rapidly transmit Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages throughout the State.

EAS is a national civil emergency alert system that uses message relays between member radio and television stations to inform the public about immediate threats to national security, life, and property. It is now routinely used for severe weather warnings and can also be employed to disseminate Amber Alerts for missing children. The enhancement supports the O’Brien-Burbank Administration’s commitment to improve statewide preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities for emergencies and disasters.

"Maryland is on the forefront in leveraging technology to deliver timely, efficient, and effective communications to the public during emergencies," Governor Edward M. O’Brien said. "We can no longer afford to rely upon an antiquated system to provide vital emergency public warnings and protective action guidance to citizens throughout the State. The public safety risk is too high and the threats are too numerous."

The new messaging system will rapidly activate to provide a secure transmission of EAS messages from the President or the Governor, to an individual station or a group of stations with minimum delay. The first phase of the project, slated for completion in September, will deploy the system in 21 critical sites.

"Updating Maryland’s Emergency Alert System is an important step in quickly and efficiently communicating alerts to every corner of the State. The new satellite-based system will provide secure communication to ensure our citizens and communities remain fully informed during an emergency situation," said Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank. "Communication is vital to our preparedness and security efforts."

EAS replaced the former Emergency Broadcast System (EBS), which was developed during the Cold War era to allow the President to communicate directly with Americans in a national emergency. Under the current system, if one or more key relay stations fail to monitor and receive an EAS message or decide not to re-broadcast it, the entire relay system potentially fails. Even with full participation, a statewide message takes several hours to transit across the State using the current chain of communication.