FCC Seeks Comment on How to Improve Communications Reliability During Disasters

The Federal Communications Commission launched a rulemaking proceeding to improve the reliability of communications networks and help ensure that the public can communicate when disasters strike. Disaster recovery efforts in the wireless industry are currently supported by the Wireless Network Resiliency Cooperative Framework, a voluntary industry agreement to promote resilient communications and situational awareness during disasters through roaming agreements, mutual aid, and other measures. The FCC adopts a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that seeks comment on potential improvements to the framework, including evaluating what triggers its activation, its scope of participants, whether existing framework elements can be strengthened, any gaps that need to be addressed, and whether the public would benefit from codifying some or all of the framework in the FCC’s rules.