The FCC Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau seeks public input on recent efforts by mobile wireless service providers to improve network resiliency. The information will be used in a report to Congress.
In the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, lawmakers expressed “concer[n] about the resiliency of wireless phone networks during natural disasters, including wildfires,” and sought a report from the Commission “on the type of safety measures wireless carriers have for their customers.” The report is due to Congress by June 25.
The agency asks for comment on: what resiliency measures are most effective, how can these measures be improved and how have customers responded to new measures. It would like providers to specifically discuss:
- back-up power in areas prone to planned power outages to mitigate wildfires;
- pre-storm staging processes;
- roaming agreements that can be activated quickly following a natural disaster;
- effective coordination with power companies, municipalities, and backhaul providers; diversification of backhaul options in disaster prone areas;
- availability of deployable network assets; and
- network infrastructure sharing among operators during natural disasters; and communicating disaster-related information with customers, particularly members of vulnerable populations, including individuals who are low-income, members of the disabilities community, or non-English speaking.
Are there successful network resiliency policy measures for fixed networks that have been applied to wireless networks, especially given that much of the backhaul for wireline providers is the same as wireless providers? the Commission asks. The agency also seeks information on cost and benefit issues associated with implementing measures to maintain and improve resiliency of mobile wireless networks.
Comments to PS Docket No. 11-60 are due 20 days after the notice is published in the Federal Register, which has yet to occur.
Reader Interactions