SenateS. 4691119th Congress
Disaster Communications Coordination and Preparedness Act
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4691 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4691
To support improved awareness and coordination of Federal
communications resources during disasters and emergencies, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 4, 2026
Mr. Sheehy (for himself and Ms. Klobuchar) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To support improved awareness and coordination of Federal
communications resources during disasters and emergencies, 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 ``Disaster Communications Coordination
and Preparedness Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal
Communications Commission.
(2) DIRS.--The term ``DIRS'' means the Disaster Information
Reporting System described in section 4.18 of title 47, Code of
Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation.
(3) Mandatory disaster response initiative.--The term
``Mandatory Disaster Response Initiative'' means the
requirements of section 4.17 of title 47, Code of Federal
Regulations, or any successor regulation.
SEC. 3. REVIEW OF DISASTER INFORMATION REPORTING SYSTEM ACTIVATION
NOTICES.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Commission shall review (and, as
appropriate, update) the procedures and practices of the Commission for
providing notices regarding the activation and deactivation of DIRS.
(b) Considerations.--In carrying out the review (and, if
applicable, update) required under subsection (a), the Commission
shall, to the extent practicable--
(1) consult with--
(A) providers that submit reports in DIRS when the
Commission activates DIRS in geographic areas in which
those providers provide service; and
(B) State, local, Tribal, and territorial emergency
management and public safety authorities; and
(2) consider whether any changes to the format or content
of a DIRS activation or deactivation notice would improve
usability for recipients of such a notice.
(c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed
to--
(1) require the Commission to adopt new regulations; or
(2) otherwise affect the discretion of the Commission to
determine whether or when to activate DIRS.
SEC. 4. ENHANCED COORDINATION WITH PUBLIC SAFETY ENTITIES.
(a) Feasibility Evaluation.--Not later than 18 months after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall evaluate the
feasibility of enhancing the existing public safety liaison functions
of the Commission, including through expanded use of the 24-hour
operations center of the Commission or similar resources, for the
purpose of--
(1) serving as a clear point of entry for State, local,
Tribal, and territorial officials seeking information on
communications status during a disaster or emergency; and
(2) facilitating coordination between the officials
described in paragraph (1) and communications service providers
before, during, and after a disaster or emergency.
(b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed
to--
(1) create a new reporting requirement or operational
mandate for any provider of communications services; or
(2) require the Commission to implement any action based on
the evaluation conducted under subsection (a).
SEC. 5. DEVELOPMENT OF DISASTER AND EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS AWARENESS
MATERIALS.
(a) Development.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Commission shall develop and make
publicly available plain-language materials to support
awareness and understanding among State, local, Tribal, and
territorial emergency management and public safety authorities
regarding Federal communications and emergency coordination
mechanisms during disasters and emergencies.
(2) Existing resources.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the
Commission may draw upon and consolidate existing outreach
materials, public notices, guidance documents, and other
Commission resources.
(b) Contents.--The materials developed under subsection (a) shall,
to the extent practicable, include information describing--
(1) the purpose and operation of DIRS, including how an
activation of DIRS affects the operations of communications
service providers and public safety authorities;
(2) the types of information that may be made available
during an activation of DIRS, which shall include a discussion
of--
(A) communications status reports; and
(B) the limitations of that information, including
applicable protections for confidential or sensitive
information;
(3) how to access the reports described in paragraph (2)(A)
and other publicly available information derived from reports
submitted during a DIRS activation;
(4) the Mandatory Disaster Response Initiative and how the
Mandatory Disaster Response Initiative supports coordination
regarding, and restoration of, communications services during
emergencies and disasters;
(5) existing Commission resources and coordination
capabilities, including points of contact and the 24-hour
operations capabilities of the Commission, that may be
available to State, local, Tribal, and territorial officials
during emergencies and disasters; and
(6) general information describing communications
capabilities and services that may be available to support
public safety communications during emergencies and disasters,
including how--
(A) those capabilities may supplement or support
other communications systems and coordination
mechanisms described in this subsection; and
(B) State, local, Tribal, and territorial
authorities may coordinate with communications
providers and the Commission regarding those
capabilities.
(c) Consultation.--In carrying out this section, the Commission
shall, to the extent practicable, consult with--
(1) providers of communications services that--
(A) submit reports in DIRS when the Commission
activates DIRS in geographic areas in which those
providers provide service; or
(B) are subject to the Mandatory Disaster Response
Initiative; and
(2) State, local, Tribal, and territorial emergency
management and public safety authorities.
(d) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed
to require the Commission to adopt new regulations, or modify existing
regulations, relating to DIRS or the Mandatory Disaster Response
Initiative.
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