S. 4691

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4691 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4691

To support improved awareness and coordination of Federal 
communications resources during disasters and emergencies, and for 
other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

June 4, 2026

Mr. Sheehy (for himself and Ms. Klobuchar) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To support improved awareness and coordination of Federal 
communications resources during disasters and emergencies, and for 
other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Disaster Communications Coordination 
and Preparedness Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
Communications Commission.
(2) DIRS.--The term ``DIRS'' means the Disaster Information 
Reporting System described in section 4.18 of title 47, Code of 
Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation.
(3) Mandatory disaster response initiative.--The term 
``Mandatory Disaster Response Initiative'' means the 
requirements of section 4.17 of title 47, Code of Federal 
Regulations, or any successor regulation.

SEC. 3. REVIEW OF DISASTER INFORMATION REPORTING SYSTEM ACTIVATION 
NOTICES.

(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Commission shall review (and, as 
appropriate, update) the procedures and practices of the Commission for 
providing notices regarding the activation and deactivation of DIRS.
(b) Considerations.--In carrying out the review (and, if 
applicable, update) required under subsection (a), the Commission 
shall, to the extent practicable--
(1) consult with--
(A) providers that submit reports in DIRS when the 
Commission activates DIRS in geographic areas in which 
those providers provide service; and
(B) State, local, Tribal, and territorial emergency 
management and public safety authorities; and
(2) consider whether any changes to the format or content 
of a DIRS activation or deactivation notice would improve 
usability for recipients of such a notice.
(c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed 
to--
(1) require the Commission to adopt new regulations; or
(2) otherwise affect the discretion of the Commission to 
determine whether or when to activate DIRS.

SEC. 4. ENHANCED COORDINATION WITH PUBLIC SAFETY ENTITIES.

(a) Feasibility Evaluation.--Not later than 18 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall evaluate the 
feasibility of enhancing the existing public safety liaison functions 
of the Commission, including through expanded use of the 24-hour 
operations center of the Commission or similar resources, for the 
purpose of--
(1) serving as a clear point of entry for State, local, 
Tribal, and territorial officials seeking information on 
communications status during a disaster or emergency; and
(2) facilitating coordination between the officials 
described in paragraph (1) and communications service providers 
before, during, and after a disaster or emergency.
(b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed 
to--
(1) create a new reporting requirement or operational 
mandate for any provider of communications services; or
(2) require the Commission to implement any action based on 
the evaluation conducted under subsection (a).

SEC. 5. DEVELOPMENT OF DISASTER AND EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS AWARENESS 
MATERIALS.

(a) Development.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Commission shall develop and make 
publicly available plain-language materials to support 
awareness and understanding among State, local, Tribal, and 
territorial emergency management and public safety authorities 
regarding Federal communications and emergency coordination 
mechanisms during disasters and emergencies.
(2) Existing resources.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
Commission may draw upon and consolidate existing outreach 
materials, public notices, guidance documents, and other 
Commission resources.
(b) Contents.--The materials developed under subsection (a) shall, 
to the extent practicable, include information describing--
(1) the purpose and operation of DIRS, including how an 
activation of DIRS affects the operations of communications 
service providers and public safety authorities;
(2) the types of information that may be made available 
during an activation of DIRS, which shall include a discussion 
of--
(A) communications status reports; and
(B) the limitations of that information, including 
applicable protections for confidential or sensitive 
information;
(3) how to access the reports described in paragraph (2)(A) 
and other publicly available information derived from reports 
submitted during a DIRS activation;
(4) the Mandatory Disaster Response Initiative and how the 
Mandatory Disaster Response Initiative supports coordination 
regarding, and restoration of, communications services during 
emergencies and disasters;
(5) existing Commission resources and coordination 
capabilities, including points of contact and the 24-hour 
operations capabilities of the Commission, that may be 
available to State, local, Tribal, and territorial officials 
during emergencies and disasters; and
(6) general information describing communications 
capabilities and services that may be available to support 
public safety communications during emergencies and disasters, 
including how--
(A) those capabilities may supplement or support 
other communications systems and coordination 
mechanisms described in this subsection; and
(B) State, local, Tribal, and territorial 
authorities may coordinate with communications 
providers and the Commission regarding those 
capabilities.
(c) Consultation.--In carrying out this section, the Commission 
shall, to the extent practicable, consult with--
(1) providers of communications services that--
(A) submit reports in DIRS when the Commission 
activates DIRS in geographic areas in which those 
providers provide service; or
(B) are subject to the Mandatory Disaster Response 
Initiative; and
(2) State, local, Tribal, and territorial emergency 
management and public safety authorities.
(d) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed 
to require the Commission to adopt new regulations, or modify existing 
regulations, relating to DIRS or the Mandatory Disaster Response 
Initiative.
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