WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Commission has voted to launch a review of its system for collecting data on network outages and restoration during major disasters.
“This action will pave the way for reforms to the Commission’s Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) to make sure that its benefits outweigh its burdens,” the FCC says.
Since its inception in 2007, DIRS has served as a key tool for collecting actionable information to help with recovery efforts. The information collected through DIRS allows emergency management officials to more efficiently prioritize disaster response efforts. While DIRS reports are valuable, the FCC notes they take time to produce, potentially drawing resources away from responding to an ongoing disaster.
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking begins a thorough review of DIRS “to modernize the system for reporting and proposes changes to reduce the reporting burdens providers during disasters, while increasing the utility of the reports,” the Commission said on Tuesday. This includes simplifying reporting requirements, limiting DIRS reporting obligations to facilities-based providers, and promoting federal and state agencies’ ability to obtain direct access to NORS and DIRS filings by eliminating unnecessary access requirements, among other improvements for efficiency.
The Commission also adopted an accompanying Order on Reconsideration that clarifies the situations in which network outage reporting requirements are suspended during DIRS activations. It also maintains requirements to send outage notifications to 911 and 988 officials during DIRS activations to ensure these officials can receive timely information about outages and in turn enable the public to reach these critical services during a disaster.
