Public-safety broadband providers to report disaster-related network outages publicly, but in a manner that is designed to be relatively streamlined
By Donny Jackson, Editor, Urgent Communications
FCC commissioners today unanimously approved rules requiring public-safety broadband providers to report disaster-related network outages publicly in the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS), but in a manner that is designed to be relatively streamlined.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said he believes the language in the new report and order can help address some of the issues he observed in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastating impact in North Carolina less than two years ago.
“One thing that stood out to me in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene was how many resources were still being tied up by outdated paperwork-filing requirements,” Carr said during the FCC’s open meeting, which was webcast. “In the middle of a disaster-recovery effort, the FCC should be focused on helping crews reconnect communities, allowing them to clear barriers that slow down recovery efforts. Limited manpower shouldn’t be spent on unnecessary red tape.
“That’s why I am pleased we are taking action today to modernize the FCC’s disaster-reporting system in a way that reduces burdens while still ensuring that we have the accurate, up-to-date information on service and restoration efforts that we need. This will be especially important for small, rural providers that may already be stretched pretty thin during times of emergencies.”
FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty echoed this sentiment.
“In addition to making DIRS easier to use, this item will provide federal, state, and local officials with a more precise and comprehensive understanding of network availability in the aftermath of disasters so they can help restore connectivity when communities need it most,” Trusty said during the meeting. “When providers should be focused on the maintenance and restoration of communications services, they should be met with a simple and functional system that is easy to navigate, and this Third Report and Order helps to achieve that objective.”
Under DIRS, network providers always have been required to provide daily updates about the status of cell towers in designated areas that has been impacted by a natural disaster, such as a wildfire, hurricane or earthquake. Under the new rules, this requirement is extended to public-safety offerings—for example, FirstNet, Verizon Frontline and T-Priority.
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said there was consideration that the FirstNet Authority should be subject to DIRS reporting. However, Gomez—who helped oversee the earliest days of the FirstNet Authority while working with the NTIA in 2012—offered an accepted edit that allows FirstNet contractor AT&T to submit the public-safety information.
“What I requested was that we take out the direct order to FirstNet [the FirstNet Authority] to file and instead make that an order for AT&T, which is operating the network on behalf of FirstNet,” Gomez said during a press conference conducted after the FCC meeting.
“It [the FirstNet Authority] is an independent authority housed at the Department of Commerce, and I didn’t think it was appropriate for the FCC to directly order them to do that.”
