NWR Modernization Act of 2023

Subjects: Science, Technology, Communications, Public Lands and Natural Resources


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1416 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1416

To provide guidance for and investment in the upgrade and modernization 
 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Radio 
              All Hazards network, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 3, 2023

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide guidance for and investment in the upgrade and modernization 
 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Radio 
              All Hazards network, 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 ``NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act 
of 2023'' or the ``NWR Modernization Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    (a) NOAA Weather Radio.--The term ``NOAA Weather Radio'' means the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Radio All 
Hazards network.
    (b) Under Secretary.--The term ``Under Secretary'' means the Under 
Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and the Administrator 
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

SEC. 3. UPGRADING EXISTING SYSTEMS.

    (a) In General.--The Under Secretary shall, to the maximum extent 
practicable, upgrade systems of NOAA Weather Radio in use as of the 
date of the enactment of this Act in order to expand coverage and 
ensure the reliability of NOAA Weather Radio.
    (b) Requirements.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Under 
Secretary shall--
            (1) maintain support for systems described in such 
        subsection that serve areas not covered by or having poor 
        quality cellular service;
            (2) ensure consistent maintenance and operations 
        monitoring, with timely repairs to equipment and antennas at 
        broadcast transmitter sites;
            (3) enhance the ability to amplify non-weather emergency 
        messages through NOAA Weather Radio as necessary; and
            (4) acquire additional transmitters as required to expand 
        coverage to rural and underserved communities, units of the 
        National Park System, and National Recreation Areas.

SEC. 4. MODERNIZATION INITIATIVE.

    (a) In General.--The Under Secretary shall, to the maximum extent 
practicable, modernize NOAA Weather Radio to ensure the capabilities 
and coverage of NOAA Weather Radio remain valuable to the public.
    (b) Requirements.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Under 
Secretary shall--
            (1) upgrade the telecommunications infrastructure of NOAA 
        Weather Radio to accelerate the transition of broadcasts to 
        media that provide an increase in reliability and repairability 
        over copper media;
            (2) accelerate software upgrades to the Advanced Weather 
        Interactive Processing System of the National Weather Service, 
        or any relevant successors of the system, in order to implement 
        partial county notifications and alerts;
            (3) enhance the accessibility and usability of data and 
        feeds of NOAA Weather Radio, with the feedback of the public 
        and user groups;
            (4) develop options, including satellite backup capability 
        and commercial provider partnerships, for continuity of service 
        provided by NOAA Weather Radio in the event of outages among 
        Weather Forecast Offices;
            (5) research and develop alternative options, including 
        microwave capabilities, to transmit signals from NOAA Weather 
        Radio to transmitters that are remote or do not have Internet 
        Protocol capability; and
            (6) transition critical applications to the Integrated 
        Dissemination Program of the National Weather Service, or any 
        relevant successors of the program.
    (c) Priorities.--In carrying out subsections (a) and (b), the Under 
Secretary shall prioritize practices, capabilities, and technologies 
recommended in the assessment required by subsection (d) in order to 
maximize the accessibility of NOAA Weather Radio, particularly in 
remote areas of the United States and areas that are at risk for a lack 
of access to weather information in the event of an emergency weather 
event.
    (d) Assessment.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall complete 
        and submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, 
        Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives an 
        assessment of access to NOAA Weather Radio.
            (2) Considerations and recommendations.--In conducting the 
        assessment required by paragraph (1), the Under Secretary shall 
        take into consideration and provide recommendations on--
                    (A) the need for continuous, adequate, and 
                operational real-time broadcasts from NOAA Weather 
                Radio;
                    (B) solicited input on the compatibility of NOAA 
                Weather Radio data with third-party platforms that 
                provide online services, such as websites and mobile 
                device applications, or deliver access to NOAA Weather 
                Radio;
                    (C) existing or new management systems, which 
                promote consistent, efficient, and compatible access to 
                NOAA Weather Radio;
                    (D) the ability of the National Oceanic and 
                Atmospheric Administration to aggregate real-time 
                broadcast feeds at one or more central locations;
                    (E) effective coordination between agencies with 
                responsibilities relating to emergencies and natural 
                disasters;
                    (F) the potential effects of an electromagnetic 
                pulse or geomagnetic disturbance on NOAA Weather Radio; 
                and
                    (G) improvements of hazardous weather and water 
                event communications to more clearly inform action and 
                increase the likelihood that the public takes such 
                action to prevent the loss of life or property.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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