FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr called for the FCC to update the wireless resiliency framework for disasters that carriers follow to speed communications restoration following crises. Currently, the program is voluntary. Carr proposes making it mandatory. He urged quick action, citing the proliferation of wildfires out west and the approach of the 2022 hurricane season.
The current framework stems from 2016. Carr commends the wireless industry for “stepping up to the plate” back then. “With the passage of time and experience learned under this framework,” he says, he believes it’s time to build and expand on it.
Carr called for expansion of the types of events that would trigger activation of the framework. He also urged the adoption of mandatory roaming during a disaster. The current agreement enables carriers to roam on another provider’s network in certain, defined situations.
Carr has traveled to disaster areas over the years to gain experience in the field. In 2018, Carr traveled to the Florida panhandle after Hurricane Michael, where he spent 48 hours with crews working to restore service, Inside Towers reported.
Last September, Carr joined Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in Louisiana following Hurricane Ida, where officials on the ground described how network outages impacted their ability to respond to calls for help both during and in the aftermath of the storm. During that Louisiana visit, public safety officials advocated for a more seamless approach to roaming during disasters.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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