📡New Disaster Reporting Requirements from FCC for Telecommunication Providers
Resilient Networks; Disruptions to Communications
Summary
In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the information collection associated with the rule adopted in a Second Report and Order and Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Resilient Networks Second Report and Order) requiring cable communications, wireless, wireline, and interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers to report their infrastructure status information in the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) daily when the Commission activates DIRS in geographic areas in which they provide service, even when their reportable infrastructure has not changed compared to the prior day. It also codifies, in the Commission's outage reporting rules, that a subject provider's Networks Outage Reporting System reporting obligations are waived while they report in DIRS and requires that subject providers who report in DIRS provide a single, final DIRS report to the Commission, within 24 hours of the Commission's deactivation of DIRS, that provides the status of their infrastructure identified to the Commission during the DIRS reporting period that has not yet been fully restored at the time of the deactivation. This document is consistent with the Resilient Networks Second Report and Order, which states the Commission will publish a document in the Federal Register announcing a compliance date for the rule section and revise the rule accordingly.
Agencies
- Federal Communications Commission
Business Impact
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This regulation mandates compliance with new reporting requirements for telecommunications providers during disasters, affecting daily operations and recordkeeping. Non-compliance could lead to penalties, while adherence may influence operational resilience and government relations.