Feds Order Telecoms to Report 'No News' Daily During Disasters
Published Date: 1/21/2025
Rule
Summary
Starting February 20, 2025, cable, wireless, wireline, and VoIP providers must report their network status daily during disasters using the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS), even if nothing changes. They’ll pause other outage reports while using DIRS and must send a final update within 24 hours after DIRS is turned off. This helps keep communication networks strong and ready when emergencies hit, with clear rules and deadlines to follow.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 3 costs, 0 mixed.
Mandatory Daily DIRS Reports
If you are a cable, wireless, wireline, or interconnected VoIP provider, you must report your infrastructure status in the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) every day while the Commission activates DIRS in areas where you provide service, starting February 20, 2025 — even when nothing has changed from the prior day.
NORS Reporting Waived During DIRS
While you report in DIRS during an activation, you do not have to file Network Outage Reporting System (NORS) outage reports for those events; this waiver applies for the duration of the DIRS activation.
Single Final DIRS Report Required
If you report in DIRS, you must submit a single, final DIRS report within 24 hours after the Commission deactivates DIRS that lists infrastructure not yet fully restored and provides an estimated date of resolution for any remaining outages.
Paperwork Burden and OMB Approval Details
OMB approved the DIRS information collection (OMB Control Number 3060-1003) on December 5, 2024, with expiration December 31, 2027; the FCC estimates 18,306 respondents, 292,896 responses, 0.166 hours per response, and a total annual burden of 48,816 hours with no annual monetary cost.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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