Legis Daily

Emergency Reporting Act

USA119th CongressHR-5200| House 
| Updated: 1/15/2026
Doris O. Matsui

Doris O. Matsui

Democratic Representative

California

Cosponsors (2)
Gus M. Bilirakis (Republican)Nanette Diaz Barragán (Democratic)

Communications and Technology Subcommittee, Energy and Commerce Committee

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted
The Emergency Reporting Act directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to enhance its oversight and reporting mechanisms following significant communication disruptions. It mandates that within one year of enactment, and annually thereafter, the FCC must conduct at least one public hearing for events where its Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) was activated for a minimum of seven days. These hearings are designed to gather comprehensive input from various stakeholders, including state and local governments, affected residents, communication service providers, and first responders, to understand the impact of such events. Following each public hearing, the FCC is required to issue a detailed report within 120 days. These reports must quantify the number and duration of outages across various services, including broadband internet access , interconnected VoIP, and commercial mobile services, along with the approximate number of affected users and infrastructure. Crucially, the reports must also detail any outages that prevent 9-1-1 emergency communications centers from receiving caller information or routing emergency calls, and include the Commission's recommendations for improving network resiliency. Beyond DIRS-related reporting, the bill also compels the FCC to investigate and propose improvements to general network outage reporting within one year of enactment. This investigation will assess the value of visual information from service providers to public safety agencies regarding outages and examine the volume of 9-1-1 outages that currently go unreported due to existing FCC thresholds. The Commission must then publish a report outlining recommended changes to its rules to address these critical issues, ensuring better situational awareness and response capabilities during emergencies.
View Full Text

Suggested Questions

Get AI-generated questions to help you understand this bill better

Timeline

Bill from Previous Congress

HR 117-1250
Emergency Reporting Act

Bill from Previous Congress

HR 118-7043
Emergency Reporting Act
Sep 8, 2025
Introduced in House
Sep 8, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Sep 8, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
Jan 15, 2026
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
Jan 15, 2026
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
  • Bill from Previous Congress

    HR 117-1250
    Emergency Reporting Act


  • Bill from Previous Congress

    HR 118-7043
    Emergency Reporting Act


  • September 8, 2025
    Introduced in House


  • September 8, 2025
    Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.


  • September 8, 2025
    Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.


  • January 15, 2026
    Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.


  • January 15, 2026
    Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

Science, Technology, Communications

Congressional oversightElectric power generation and transmissionEmergency communications systemsEmergency medical services and trauma careEmergency planning and evacuationGovernment information and archivesGovernment studies and investigationsNatural disastersTelephone and wireless communication

Emergency Reporting Act

USA119th CongressHR-5200| House 
| Updated: 1/15/2026
The Emergency Reporting Act directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to enhance its oversight and reporting mechanisms following significant communication disruptions. It mandates that within one year of enactment, and annually thereafter, the FCC must conduct at least one public hearing for events where its Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) was activated for a minimum of seven days. These hearings are designed to gather comprehensive input from various stakeholders, including state and local governments, affected residents, communication service providers, and first responders, to understand the impact of such events. Following each public hearing, the FCC is required to issue a detailed report within 120 days. These reports must quantify the number and duration of outages across various services, including broadband internet access , interconnected VoIP, and commercial mobile services, along with the approximate number of affected users and infrastructure. Crucially, the reports must also detail any outages that prevent 9-1-1 emergency communications centers from receiving caller information or routing emergency calls, and include the Commission's recommendations for improving network resiliency. Beyond DIRS-related reporting, the bill also compels the FCC to investigate and propose improvements to general network outage reporting within one year of enactment. This investigation will assess the value of visual information from service providers to public safety agencies regarding outages and examine the volume of 9-1-1 outages that currently go unreported due to existing FCC thresholds. The Commission must then publish a report outlining recommended changes to its rules to address these critical issues, ensuring better situational awareness and response capabilities during emergencies.
View Full Text

Suggested Questions

Get AI-generated questions to help you understand this bill better

Timeline

Bill from Previous Congress

HR 117-1250
Emergency Reporting Act

Bill from Previous Congress

HR 118-7043
Emergency Reporting Act
Sep 8, 2025
Introduced in House
Sep 8, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Sep 8, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
Jan 15, 2026
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
Jan 15, 2026
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
  • Bill from Previous Congress

    HR 117-1250
    Emergency Reporting Act


  • Bill from Previous Congress

    HR 118-7043
    Emergency Reporting Act


  • September 8, 2025
    Introduced in House


  • September 8, 2025
    Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.


  • September 8, 2025
    Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.


  • January 15, 2026
    Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.


  • January 15, 2026
    Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Doris O. Matsui

Doris O. Matsui

Democratic Representative

California

Cosponsors (2)
Gus M. Bilirakis (Republican)Nanette Diaz Barragán (Democratic)

Communications and Technology Subcommittee, Energy and Commerce Committee

Science, Technology, Communications

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted
Congressional oversightElectric power generation and transmissionEmergency communications systemsEmergency medical services and trauma careEmergency planning and evacuationGovernment information and archivesGovernment studies and investigationsNatural disastersTelephone and wireless communication