Congress·In Committee·H.R. 5200

Congress Proposes New Rules to Track Cell and Internet Outages During Major Disasters

Emergency Reporting Act

2 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Key Points

This bill, introduced by Ms. Matsui, requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to hold public meetings after major disasters. These meetings would happen whenever emergency reporting systems are active for at least a week, ensuring the government hears from local residents and first responders about what went wrong.
The FCC would be required to publish detailed reports on internet and phone outages after these disasters. These reports must show how many people lost service, how long the outages lasted, and specifically if people were unable to reach 9-1-1 operators during the emergency.
The policy aims to make our communication networks more reliable by requiring the FCC to suggest ways to prevent future outages. By looking at what failed during past storms or fires, the agency can help companies build stronger systems that stay online when people need them most.
The FCC would also investigate if current rules are missing small but important 9-1-1 outages that never get reported. They will look into whether providing visual maps of outages would help emergency workers respond faster to neighborhoods that are cut off from the world.

Technology DigitalInfrastructure Transportation

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Broader Impacts

DomainScoreShort-termLong-termReversibilityConfidence

Score

Scores: -5 (harmful) to +5 (beneficial)Short-term: 0-2 yearsLong-term: 10-30 years

Milestones

3 milestones5 actions

Jan 15, 2026House

Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.

Jan 15, 2026House

Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

Sep 8, 2025House

Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

Sep 8, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Sep 8, 2025

Introduced in House

Related News

5 articles

Communications Daily·6 months ago

Matsui, Bilirakis Bow 2 Bills on Emergency Communications Resiliency

Rep. Doris Matsui and Rep. Gus Bilirakis reintroduced the Emergency Reporting Act to improve communication network reliability. The bill directs the FCC to issue reports and hold field hearings after activating its disaster reporting system to assess 9-1-1 failures and service disruptions.

Homeland Preparedness News·6 months ago

Emergency Reporting Act introduced in Congress to Bolster Network Resiliency

Legislation introduced in both houses seeks to improve communications network resiliency. The Emergency Reporting Act would require the FCC to hold public meetings after disasters and publish detailed reports on internet and phone outages, specifically tracking 9-1-1 reachability.

Radio Ink·8 months ago

FCC Advances EAS Reform, DIRS Update, Broadcast Rule Repeal

The FCC moved to modernize its Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) as part of a broader agenda to streamline emergency communications. The action aligns with legislative efforts like the Emergency Reporting Act, focusing on improving the utility of outage reports for first responders.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Emergency Reporting Act

Bill NumberHR 5200

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionForwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(2)

D: 1R: 1

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.