Emergency Reporting Act
Description
This bill would require the FCC to investigate and report on 9-1-1 outages and hold public hearings following major service disruptions.
Summary
What it does
This bill would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to investigate and report on emergency communications outages, including those not currently covered by existing notification rules. The FCC would be tasked with holding annual public hearings regarding events that trigger the Disaster Information Reporting System for at least one week. Following these hearings, the agency would be required to publish reports detailing the nature of the outages and providing recommendations to improve the resiliency of communications networks.
Who is affected
The bill primarily affects the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which is tasked with conducting investigations, holding public hearings, and issuing reports on emergency communications outages. Communications providers are also affected, as the bill evaluates the practicality of including visual information in their outage notifications and reviews their reporting during events where the Disaster Information Reporting System is activated. Additionally, the bill impacts the general public and emergency service users by addressing the resiliency of 9-1-1 services and other communications networks during severe weather or service degradations.
Key provisions
- Investigation of unreported 9-1-1 outages. The FCC must issue a report examining the volume and nature of 9-1-1 outages that are currently exempt from mandatory reporting requirements.
- Evaluation of visual information in outage notifications. The FCC is required to assess the practicality and value of including visual data in the outage notifications provided by communications companies.
- Annual public hearings on extended disaster events. The FCC must hold public hearings for any event where the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) was activated for at least seven days.
- Post-hearing reports on network resiliency. Following disaster-related hearings, the FCC must publish reports detailing the duration and nature of outages and provide recommendations for improving communication network resiliency.
Fiscal impact
- H.R. 5200, Emergency Reporting Act· As ordered reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on January 21, 2026
Effective dates
Not applicable: Official Summary does not address effective dates
Relationship to existing law
The bill directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to recommend changes to its existing outage notification rules and requires the agency to hold public hearings regarding events that trigger the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS), an established reporting mechanism for communications providers during emergencies.
Stated purpose
The bill aims to improve the reliability and resiliency of emergency communications by requiring the Federal Communications Commission to investigate 9-1-1 outages and hold public hearings on service degradations during major disasters. These efforts are intended to identify necessary regulatory changes and provide recommendations for strengthening communications networks during emergencies.