FCC Proposes Mandatory Reporting for Broadband Outages

FCC Proposes Mandatory Reporting for Broadband Outages 

On March 29, 2024, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) seeking comment on whether to require broadband providers to report broadband outages in two FCC systems – the Network Outage Reporting System (NORS) and the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS). The FCC estimates that each report only takes 10 minutes to file and seeks comment on the time and cost to file these reports.

The FNPRM also seeks comment on how to define an outage in the context of broadband. Currently, the NORS rules require reporting for outages that impact 900,000 user minutes. The FCC queries whether this threshold should remain the same for broadband outages or whether there is a more effective threshold to trigger reporting.

Finally, the FCC seeks comment on whether providers subject to DIRS reporting should also be required to file “after-action” reports, which would detail more specifically how their networks fared after the event or exigency and the nature, timing, duration, and effectiveness of their pre-disaster response plans after the FCC’s deactivation of DIRS. The FCC also seeks estimates of the time and cost to complete these “after-action” reports.

Each of these requirements could add additional reporting burdens on small, rural providers. We encourage you to share your views, especially estimates of time and cost to comply with these proposed rules. Comments are due on or before April 29, 2024, and reply comments are due on or before May 28, 2024.

If you are interested in preparing comments or have any questions, please contact Jennifer Holtz at jenn.holtz@jsitel.com.