Emergency Reporting Act

Doris O. Matsui

Democrat · CA · Representative

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

• Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL-12)Original· 2025-09-08
• Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA-44)· 2025-09-17

Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 375.

2026-04-21

Source: Congress.gov

Emergency Reporting Act This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to investigate and report on emergency communications outages (e.g., 9-1-1 outages). Specifically, the FCC must publish a general report on (1) the volume and nature of 9-1-1 outages that are not required to be reported under current outage notification rules, (2) the value and practicality of including visual information in outage notifications from communications providers, and (3) recommended changes to FCC rules to address these issues. Separately, the FCC must hold annual public hearings on events for which the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) was activated for at least a week. (DIRS is a reporting system that is activated during severe weather and other events impacting communications service. It enables communications providers to report outages and other degradations to service.) After each such hearing, the FCC must issue a report that includes information about the number, duration, and nature of all associated outages, along with recommendations for improving the resiliency of affected communications services or networks. Such reports must generally be made public on the FCC website.

Plain-English rewrite of the Congressional Research Service summary published on Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 5200 Engrossed in House (EH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5200 _______________________________________________________________________ AN ACT To direct the Federal Communications Commission to issue reports after activation of the Disaster Information Reporting System and to make improvements to network outage reporting, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Emergency Reporting Act''. SEC. 2. REPORTS AFTER ACTIVATION OF DISASTER INFORMATION REPORTING SYSTEM; IMPROVEMENTS TO NETWORK OUTAGE REPORTING. (a) Reports After Activation of Disaster Information Reporting System.-- (1) Public hearings.-- (A) Requirement.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Commission shall hold not less than 1 public hearing relating to all events during the preceding 1-year period for which the System was activated for not less than 7 days. (B) Inclusion of certain individuals in hearings.-- For each public hearing held under subparagraph (A), the Commission shall consider including-- (i) representatives of State governments, local governments, or Indian tribal governments in areas affected by such events; (ii) residents of the areas affected by such events, or consumer advocates; (iii) providers of communications services affected by such events; (iv) faculty of institutions of higher education; (v) representatives of other Federal agencies; (vi) electric utility providers; (vii) communications infrastructure companies; and (viii) first responders, emergency managers, or 9-1-1 directors in areas affected by such events. (2) Reports.--Not later than 120 days after the date on which a public hearing held under paragraph (1) concludes, the Commission shall issue a report that includes, with respect to the events to which such hearing relates and to the extent known without requiring the collection of additional information-- (A) the number and duration of any outages of-- (i) broadband internet access service; (ii) interconnected VoIP service; (iii) commercial mobile service; and (iv) commercial mobile data service; (B) the approximate number of users and the amount of communications infrastructure potentially affected by an outage described in subparagraph (A); (C) the number and duration of any outages that prevent emergency communications centers from receiving caller location or number information or receiving emergency calls and routing such calls to emergency service personnel; and (D) any recommendations of the Commission on how to improve the resiliency of affected communications services or networks. (3) Development of reports.--In developing a report required by paragraph (2), the Commission shall consider information collected by the Commission with respect to the events to which such report relates, including information collected through the System and the relevant public hearing. (4) Publication of reports.-- (A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the Commission shall publish each report required by paragraph (2) on the website of the Commission upon the issuance of such report. (B) Exclusion.--In publishing a report under subparagraph (A), the Commission shall exclude information that is otherwise exempt from public disclosure under the rules of the Commission or that was submitted to the Commission with a proper request for confidential treatment as described in section 0.459 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation). (b) Improvements to Network Outage Reporting.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall conduct an investigation and publish on the website of the Commission a report on-- (1) the value to public safety agencies of originating service providers including visual information to improve situational awareness about outages in the notifications provided to…

emergency communications centers, as required by the rules of the Commission; (2) the volume and nature of 9-1-1 outages that may go unreported under the outage notification thresholds of the Commission; (3) the balance between the value described in paragraph (1) to public safety agencies and the burden and practicality for originating service providers of including visual information in outage notifications as described in such paragraph; and (4) recommended changes to the rules of the Commission to address the matters reported under paragraphs (1) and (2). (c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be construed to provide the Commission or any other person authority over any provider of broadband internet access service beyond what is specifically authorized under this section. (d) Definitions.--In this section: (1) Broadband internet access service.--The term ``broadband internet access service'' has the meaning given such term in section 8.1(b) of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation). (2) Commercial mobile data service.--The term ``commercial mobile data service'' has the meaning given such term in section 6001 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1401). (3) Commercial mobile service.--The term ``commercial mobile service'' has the meaning given such term in section 332(d) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 332(d)). (4) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal Communications Commission. (5) Emergency communications center.-- (A) In general.--The term ``emergency communications center'' means-- (i) a facility that-- (I) is designated to receive a 9-1- 1 request for emergency assistance; and (II) performs 1 or more of the functions described in subparagraph (B); or (ii) a public safety answering point (as defined in section 222 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 222)). (B) Functions described.--The functions described in this subparagraph are the following: (i) Processing and analyzing 9-1-1 requests for emergency assistance and information and data related to such requests. (ii) Dispatching appropriate emergency response providers. (iii) Transferring or exchanging 9-1-1 requests for emergency assistance and information and data related to such requests with 1 or more other emergency communications centers and emergency response providers. (iv) Analyzing any communications received from emergency response providers. (v) Supporting incident command functions. (6) Indian tribal government; local government.--The terms ``Indian tribal government'' and ``local government'' have the meanings given such terms in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122). (7) Interconnected voip service; state.--The terms ``interconnected VoIP service'' and ``State'' have the meanings given such terms in section 3 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153). (8) Outage.--The term ``outage'' has the meaning given such term in section 4.5 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation). (9) System.--The term ``System'' means the Disaster Information Reporting System of the Commission. Passed the House of Representatives April 20, 2026. Attest: Clerk. 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5200 _______________________________________________________________________ AN ACT To direct the Federal Communications Commission to issue reports after activation of the Disaster Information Reporting System and to make improvements to network outage reporting, and for other purposes.

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