I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 588 
To direct the Federal Communications Commission to conduct a study on 
network resiliency during times of emergency, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 17, 2017 
Mr. PALLONE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To direct the Federal Communications Commission to con-
duct a study on network resiliency during times of emer-
gency, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Securing Access to 
Networks in Disasters Act’’. 
SEC. 2. STUDY ON NETWORK RESILIENCY. 
Not later than 36 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Commission shall submit to Congress, and 
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make publically available on the Commission’s website, a 
study on the public safety benefits and technical feasibility 
and cost of— 
(1) making telecommunications service pro-
vider-owned WiFi access points, and other commu-
nications technologies operating on unlicensed spec-
trum, available to the general public for access to 9– 
1–1 services, without requiring any login credentials, 
during times of emergency when mobile service is 
unavailable; 
(2) the provision by non-telecommunications 
service provider-owned WiFi access points of public 
access to 9–1–1 services during times of emergency 
when mobile service is unavailable; and 
(3) other alternative means of providing the 
public with access to 9–1–1 services during times of 
emergency when mobile service is unavailable. 
SEC. 3. ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS DUR-
ING FEDERALLY DECLARED EMERGENCIES. 
Section 427(a)(1)(A) of the Robert T. Stafford Dis-
aster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5189e(a)(1)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘telecommuni-
cations service’’ and inserting ‘‘wireline or mobile tele-
phone service, Internet access service, radio or television 
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broadcasting, cable service, or direct broadcast satellite 
service’’. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
As used in this Act— 
(1) the term ‘‘Commission’’ means the Federal 
Communications Commission; 
(2) the term ‘‘mobile service’’ means commer-
cial mobile service (as defined in section 332 of the 
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 332)) or 
commercial mobile data service (as defined in section 
6001 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Cre-
ation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1401)); 
(3) the term ‘‘WiFi access point’’ means wire-
less Internet access using the standard designated as 
802.11 or any variant thereof; and 
(4) the term ‘‘times of emergency’’ means ei-
ther an emergency as defined in section 102 of the 
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122), or an emergency 
as declared by the governor of a State or territory 
of the United States. 
Æ 
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