Rule2025-00495
Resilient Networks; Disruptions to Communications
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
January 21, 2025
Effective
February 20, 2025
Issuing agencies
Federal Communications Commission
Abstract
In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the information collection associated with the rule adopted in a Second Report and Order and Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Resilient Networks Second Report and Order) requiring cable communications, wireless, wireline, and interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers to report their infrastructure status information in the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) daily when the Commission activates DIRS in geographic areas in which they provide service, even when their reportable infrastructure has not changed compared to the prior day. It also codifies, in the Commission's outage reporting rules, that a subject provider's Networks Outage Reporting System reporting obligations are waived while they report in DIRS and requires that subject providers who report in DIRS provide a single, final DIRS report to the Commission, within 24 hours of the Commission's deactivation of DIRS, that provides the status of their infrastructure identified to the Commission during the DIRS reporting period that has not yet been fully restored at the time of the deactivation. This document is consistent with the Resilient Networks Second Report and Order, which states the Commission will publish a document in the Federal Register announcing a compliance date for the rule section and revise the rule accordingly.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 12 (Tuesday, January 21, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 12 (Tuesday, January 21, 2025)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 6839-6840]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-00495]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 4
[PS Docket Nos. 21-346, 15-80; ET Docket No. 04-35; FCC 24-5; FR ID
272202]
Resilient Networks; Disruptions to Communications
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Final rule, announcement of compliance date.
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SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal Communications Commission
(Commission) announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
has approved the information collection associated with the rule
adopted in a Second Report and Order and Second Further Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking (Resilient Networks Second Report and Order)
requiring cable communications, wireless, wireline, and interconnected
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers to report their
infrastructure status information in the Disaster Information Reporting
System (DIRS) daily when the Commission activates DIRS in geographic
areas in which they provide service, even when their reportable
infrastructure has not changed compared to the prior day. It also
codifies, in the Commission's outage reporting rules, that a subject
provider's Networks Outage Reporting System reporting obligations are
waived while they report in DIRS and requires that subject providers
who report in DIRS provide a single, final DIRS report to the
Commission, within 24 hours of the Commission's deactivation of DIRS,
that provides the status of their infrastructure identified to the
Commission during the DIRS reporting period that has not yet been fully
restored at the time of the deactivation. This document is consistent
with the Resilient Networks Second Report and Order, which states the
Commission will publish a document in the Federal Register announcing a
compliance date for the rule section and revise the rule accordingly.
DATES: Effective February 20, 2025. Compliance with 47 CFR 4.18,
published at 89 FR 25535, on April 11, 2024, and 89 FR 32373 on April
26, 2024, is required as of February 20, 2025. In addition, this
document removes 47 CFR 4.18(c), which advised that compliance with the
new rules would not be required until Sec. 4.18(c) is removed or the
Commission announces a compliance date.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Logan Bennett, Attorney Advisor,
Cybersecurity and Communications Reliability Division, Public Safety
and Homeland Security Bureau, at (202) 418-7790 or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e08c8f87818ece82858e8e859494a0868383ce878f96"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="cca0a3abada2e2aea9a2a2a9b8b88caaafafe2aba3ba">[email protected]</span></a>. For additional information concerning the
Paperwork Reduction Act information collection requirements contact
Nicole Ongele at (202) 418-2991 or via email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9fd1f6fcf0f3fab1d0f1f8faf3fadff9fcfcb1f8f0e9"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4907202a26252c6706272e2c252c092f2a2a672e263f">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document announces that OMB approved
the information collection requirement in Sec. 4.18 on December 5,
2024.
The Commission publishes this document as an announcement of the
compliance date of the rules.
If you have any comments on the burden estimates listed in the
following, or how the Commission can improve the collections and reduce
any burdens caused thereby, please contact Nicole Ongele, Federal
Communications Commission, 45 L Street NE, Washington, DC 20554. Please
include OMB Control Number, 3060-1033, in your correspondence. The
Commission will also accept your comments via email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#efbfbdaeaf898c8cc1888099"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6e3e3c2f2e080d0d40090118">[email protected]</span></a>. To
request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities
(Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an email
to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#cfa9acacfafffb8fa9acace1a8a0b9"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d5b3b6b6e0e5e195b3b6b6fbb2baa3">[email protected]</span></a> or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau
at (202) 418-0530 (voice).
Synopsis
As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
3507), the FCC is notifying the public that it received final OMB
approval as approved with changes on December 5, 2024, for the
information collection requirement contained in Sec. 4.18.
Under 5 CFR part 1320, an agency may not conduct or sponsor a
collection of information unless it displays a current, valid OMB
Control Number.
No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply
with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act
that does not display a current, valid OMB Control Number.
The foregoing notice is required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, Public Law 104-13, October 1, 1995, and 44 U.S.C. 3507.
The total annual reporting burdens and costs for the respondents
are as follows:
OMB Control Number: 3060-1003.
OMB Approval Date: December 5, 2024.
OMB Expiration Date: December 31, 2027.
Title: Communications Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS).
Form Number: N/A.
Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities, and State,
local or tribal governments, and Federal Government.
Number of Respondents and Responses: 18,306 respondents; 292,896
responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 0.166 hours.
Frequency of Response: Annual and on occasion reporting
requirements and recordkeeping requirements.
Obligation to Respond: Mandatory. Statutory authority for this
collection of information is contained in sections 1, 4(i), 4(j), 4(n),
201, 214, 218, 251(e)(3), 301, 303(b), 303(g), 303(j), 303(r), 307, 309
316, 332, and 403 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and 47
U.S.C. 151, 154(i)-(j) & (n), 201, 214, 218, 251(e)(3), 301, 303(b),
303(g), 303(r), 307, 309(a), 309(j), 316, 332, 403; sections 2, 3(b),
and 6-7 of the Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999,
47 U.S.C. 615 note, 615, 615a-1, 615b, section 106 of the Twenty First
Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010, 47 U.S.C.
[[Page 6840]]
615c, section 506(a) of the Repack Airways Yielding Better Access for
Users of Modern Services Act of 2018 (RAY BAUM'S Act), and section 6206
of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, 47 U.S.C.
1426.
Total Annual Burden: 48,816 hours.
Total Annual Cost: No Cost.
Needs and Uses: Using DIRS, participating communications companies
provide the Commission with their emergency contact information and can
subsequently inform the Commission of damage to their infrastructure
and facilities, as well as request resources for restoration from the
Commission. DIRS respondents provide this information using web-based
electronic forms tailored to their types of networks and facilities.
In the Mandated Disaster Information Reporting System Order, 89 FR
32373, April 26, 2024 (previously 89 FR 25535, April 11, 2024), the
Commission is requiring cable communications, wireless, wireline and
interconnected VoIP providers (Subject Providers) to report their
infrastructure status information in DIRS on a daily basis while DIRS
is activated. During that time, Subject Providers will not be required
to file reports of system outages in the FCC's Network Outage Reporting
System (NORS) that arise during the DIRS activation and that are timely
reported in DIRS.
The new rules also require Subject Providers to provide a final
report to the Commission within 24 hours of the Commission's
deactivation of DIRS and the termination of required daily reporting
that details the state of their infrastructure at the time of DIRS
deactivation and provides an estimated date of resolution of any
remaining outages. This mandatory reporting requirement replaces the
former voluntary DIRS reporting framework because, after almost two
decades of observation, the Commission notes that the United States has
been experiencing an increasing number of perilous floods, hurricanes,
winter storms, tornados, and wildfires necessitating a more regular
activation of DIRS.
List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 4
Communications equipment, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements,
Telecommunications.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
Final Rules
For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal
Communications Commission amends 47 CFR part 4 as follows:
PART 4--DISRUPTIONS TO COMMUNICATIONS
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1. The authority citation for part 4 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 47 U.S.C. 34-39, 151, 154, 155, 157, 201, 251, 307,
316, 615a-1, 1302(a), and 1302(b); 5 U.S.C. 301, and Executive Order
no. 10530.
Sec. 4.18 [Amended]
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2. Amend Sec. 4.18 by removing paragraph (c).
[FR Doc. 2025-00495 Filed 1-17-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
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