‘‘(B) providers of advanced communica-
tions service have in place reasonable arrange-
ments for the provision of mutual aid for times 
of emergency, as necessary. 
‘‘(b) REQUIRED ASSISTANCE FOR FIRST RESPOND-
ERS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of the enactment of this section, the Com-
mission shall, after public notice and an opportunity 
for comment, adopt rules designed to improve co-
ordination for times of emergency between providers 
of advanced communications service and public safe-
ty answering points and covered public safety enti-
ties. 
‘‘(2) PROVIDING DETAILED TIMELY NETWORK 
OUTAGE DATA TO FIRST RESPONDERS.—In issuing 
the rules required by paragraph (1), the Commission 
shall— 
‘‘(A) make changes to the Disaster Infor-
mation Reporting System to facilitate the par-
ticipation in such System by all providers of ad-
vanced communications service; 
‘‘(B) require providers of advanced com-
munications service to participate in the Dis-
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aster Information Reporting System during 
times of emergency; 
‘‘(C) ensure information collected through 
the Disaster Information Reporting System is 
made available to public safety answering points 
and covered public safety entities in those areas 
where the Disaster Information Reporting Sys-
tem is activated in an easily accessible format 
that— 
‘‘(i) facilitates the provision of such 
information as soon as possible, in light of 
efforts to remedy network disruption and 
restore services, with reasonably sufficient 
granularity and speed to help such public 
safety answering points and covered public 
safety entities understand the timing, na-
ture, and scope of reported disruptions to 
the provision of advanced communications 
service during times of emergency, includ-
ing disruptions to the provision of such 
service to public safety answering points or 
covered public safety entities; 
‘‘(ii) reflects the status of operations 
of and disruptions affecting the individual 
reporting provider’s network during times 
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of emergency and does not reflect the con-
tinued provision of advanced communica-
tions service using roaming and peering ar-
rangements; and 
‘‘(iii) allows such information to be 
accessed through a secure internet website; 
and 
‘‘(D) ensure that providers of advanced 
communications service are not held liable for 
outage reports based upon reasonable efforts to 
identify accurately any such outages as soon as 
reasonably practicable during times of emer-
gency that may later be determined to have 
contained inaccurate information. 
‘‘(3) ACCESS AND SECURITY.—In issuing the 
rules required by paragraph (1), the Commission 
shall ensure that— 
‘‘(A) the information described in para-
graph (2)(C) is secured against access by any 
person not authorized to access such informa-
tion and that persons authorized to access such 
information are trained in reasonable security 
measures to protect such information; 
‘‘(B) such information will be used by pub-
lic safety answering points and covered public 
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safety entities exclusively for the purpose of re-
sponding to public safety concerns during times 
of emergency, and that public safety answering 
points and covered public safety entities will be 
required to notify the Commission and affected 
providers of advanced communications service 
as soon as reasonably practicable in the event 
of any breach or other unauthorized use; and 
‘‘(C) the public continues to have access to 
the information published by the Commission 
on its websites in times of emergency in a man-
ner that is at least as accessible to the public 
as before the date of the enactment of this sec-
tion. 
‘‘(c) COORDINATED
RESPONSE
MASTER
DIREC-
TORY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of the enactment of this section, the Com-
mission, in consultation with the Secretary of En-
ergy, shall, after public notice and an opportunity 
for comment, establish a master point-of-contact di-
rectory to provide for effective communication be-
tween providers of advanced communications service, 
tower owner or operators, and public safety answer-
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ing points, covered public safety entities, and utili-
ties. 
‘‘(2) ACCESS AND SECURITY.—In establishing 
the directory under paragraph (1), the Commission 
shall ensure that— 
‘‘(A) the directory established under para-
graph (1) is secured against access by any per-
son not authorized to access such directory in-
formation and that persons authorized to access 
such information are trained in reasonable se-
curity measures to protect such information; 
‘‘(B) such information is updated by the 
Commission no less frequently than quarterly; 
and 
‘‘(C) such information will be used by pub-
lic safety answering points and covered public 
safety entities exclusively for the purpose of re-
sponding to public safety concerns, and that 
public safety answering points and covered pub-
lic safety entities will be required to notify the 
Commission and affected providers of advanced 
communications service, tower owner or opera-
tors, and utilities as soon as reasonably prac-
ticable in the event of any breach or other un-
authorized use. 
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‘‘(d) TRIENNIAL REVIEW
OF COORDINATED RE-
SPONSE POLICIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than the date 
that is 4 years after the date of the enactment of 
this section, and every 3 years thereafter, the Com-
mission shall, after public notice and an opportunity 
for comment, evaluate whether the rules adopted 
and directory established under this section, coupled 
with any other actions that the Commission has 
taken regarding network resiliency, are substantially 
improving the resiliency of advanced communications 
services in times of emergency. 
‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL ACTION.—If the Commission 
finds in an evaluation under paragraph (1) that the 
rules issued pursuant to this section and the direc-
tory established under this section, coupled with any 
other actions that the Commission has taken regard-
ing network resiliency, are not substantially improv-
ing the resiliency of advanced communications serv-
ices, the Commission shall seek comment and con-
sider amending such rules and directory to take ad-
ditional action that may be necessary and within its 
jurisdiction to help ensure those rules more effi-
ciently promote the resiliency of advanced commu-
nications services in times of emergency. 
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‘‘(e) EXEMPTION FROM PAPERWORK REDUCTION 
ACT.—Information collected under this section shall not 
constitute a collection of information for the purposes of 
subchapter I of chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code 
(commonly referred to as the Paperwork Reduction Act). 
‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE.— 
The term ‘advanced communications service’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 3 and has the 
meaning given to the term ‘advanced telecommuni-
cations capability’ in section 706 of the Tele-
communications Act of 1996 (47 U.S.C. 1302), but 
such term shall not include the network of the First 
Responder Network Authority established by section 
6204 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Cre-
ation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1424). 
‘‘(2) DISASTER INFORMATION REPORTING SYS-
TEM.—The term ‘Disaster Information Reporting 
System’ means the system described in the public 
notice released by the Commission on September 11, 
2007 (DA 07–3871). 
‘‘(3) UTILITY.—The term ‘utility’ has the 
meaning given to the term ‘distribution utility’ in 
section 217 of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 
824q). 
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‘‘(4) PUBLIC SAFETY ANSWERING POINT.—The 
term ‘public safety answering point’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 222. 
‘‘(5) COVERED PUBLIC SAFETY ENTITY.—The 
term ‘covered public safety entity’ is an entity re-
sponsible for emergency management functions dur-
ing times of emergency that is expressly authorized 
by the Federal Emergency Management Agency or 
Governor of a State as eligible to access outage in-
formation pursuant to subsections (b) and (c). 
‘‘(6) ROAMING.—The term ‘roaming’ means the 
ability of a subscriber of wireless advanced commu-
nications service to originate or terminate a call, to 
continue an in-progress call, or to transmit or re-
ceive data, using the facilities of a provider of wire-
less advanced communications service different than 
the one with whom the subscriber has a direct pre-
existing service or financial relationship. 
‘‘(7) TIME OF EMERGENCY.—The term ‘time of 
emergency’ means— 
‘‘(A) the time period of an emergency (as 
defined in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5122)); 
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‘‘(B) the time period that the Federal 
Communications Commission activates the Dis-
aster Information Reporting System; or 
‘‘(C) the time period of an emergency as 
declared by the Governor of a State. 
‘‘(8) TOWER OWNER OR OPERATOR.—The term 
‘tower owner or operator’ has the meaning given to 
such term in section 427 of the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 5189e). 
‘‘(9) RESILIENCY.—The term ‘resiliency’ means 
the ability to withstand and recover rapidly from dis-
ruptions. Resiliency includes the ability to withstand 
and recover from deliberate attacks, accidents, or 
naturally occurring threats or incidents.’’. 
SEC. 3. STOPPING ACCIDENTAL CUTS TO COMMUNICA-
TIONS NETWORKS. 
(a) STUDY.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall, in con-
sultation with the Secretary of Transportation, and after 
public notice and an opportunity for comment, complete 
a study on the feasibility of expanding the one-call notifi-
cation system programs under chapter 61 and section 
60114 of title 49, United States Code, to cover advanced 
communications service. 
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(b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In conducting the study 
under subsection (a), the Commission shall consider addi-
tional solutions to prevent third-party damage to infra-
structure used in the provision of advanced communica-
tions service, including dig-once policies, and the use of 
wireless backhaul. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 270 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall publish 
on the website of the Commission and submit to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate a report detailing the 
findings and recommendations of the study conducted 
under subsection (a). 
SEC. 4. KEEPING ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE 
OPERATIONAL. 
(a) COORDINATION BEST PRACTICES.—Not later 
than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Commission, in consultation with the Secretary of En-
ergy, shall adopt, after public notice and an opportunity 
for comment, a set of recommended best practices on how 
providers of advanced communications service and utilities 
should coordinate in order to ensure that advanced com-
munications service remains operational during times of 
emergency and pre-planned power downs. 
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(b) MEASURES.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Commission, in consulta-
tion with the Secretary of Energy and Secretary of Home-
land Security, shall— 
(1) establish a process by which providers of 
advanced communications service and utilities share 
information regarding what infrastructure, used in 
the provision of advanced communications service, 
should be prioritized for reenergization to best re-
store critical parts of such providers’ networks nec-
essary for emergency response and restoration ef-
forts, in a manner that promotes the most efficient 
and effective use of resources during times of emer-
gency and pre-planned power downs; 
(2) ensure that providers of advanced commu-
nications service take reasonable and technically fea-
sible measures to integrate backup power, including 
generators and batteries, into such providers’ net-
works to continue the provision of advanced commu-
nications service during and following times of emer-
gency and during pre-planned power downs with 
particular focus on consumers’ ability to send and 
receive emergency communications; 
(3) take all necessary, reasonable measures to 
ensure appropriate coordination including at incident 
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confidentiality protections, accessed only by author-
ized users responsible for coordination required by 
this section, and used exclusively for the purpose of 
ensuring advanced communications service remains 
operational during and following times of emergency 
and pre-planned power downs. 
SEC. 5. PROMOTING 5G RESILIENCY. 
(a) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act and after public notice and 
an opportunity for comment, the Commission, in consulta-
tion with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall pub-
lish on the website of the Commission and submit to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate, a report that 
includes the following: 
(1) An evaluation of any unique (with respect 
to other forms of advanced communications service) 
challenges or advantages of 5G wireless networks 
with regard to the resiliency of such networks to 
withstand disruptions during times of emergency. 
(2) An analysis of the following: 
(A) 5G wireless networks using high-band 
frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum. 
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(B) 5G wireless networks using low-band 
frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum. 
(C) The backhaul requirements of 5G wire-
less networks. 
(D) The power requirements of 5G wireless 
networks. 
(E) The potential uses of 5G wireless net-
works in responding to natural and manmade 
disasters for public safety officials and the pub-
lic that are specific to 5G wireless networks. 
(F) The uses of 5G wireless networks to 
provide wireless emergency alerts and dispatch-
able location to public safety answering points. 
(G) The uses of 5G wireless networks in 
responding to natural and manmade disasters 
in rural areas. 
(3) Recommendations regarding regulatory or 
statutory changes that could address any challenges 
to, or better use any advantages of, 5G wireless net-
works with regard to the deployment and resiliency 
of such networks. 
(b) RULES MAY BE REQUIRED.—Not later than 2 
years after the date the Commission submits its report, 
the Commission shall consider whether to adopt rules or 
issue best practices to address any challenges or better 
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use any advantages of 5G wireless networks with regard 
to the resiliency of such networks are needed. 
SEC. 6. AUDIT OF FCC’S RESPONSE TO 2017 HURRICANE 
SEASON IN PUERTO RICO. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of the 
United States shall conduct a performance audit of the 
Commission’s efforts to restore advanced communications 
service, and other communications services, in Puerto Rico 
during, and following, the 2017 hurricane season. 
(b) REQUIRED CONSIDERATIONS.—In conducting the 
study under subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall 
examine— 
(1) the timeliness of the Commission’s actions 
to restore advanced communications service, and 
other communications services, in Puerto Rico dur-
ing, and following, the 2017 hurricane season; and 
(2) how the Commission responded following 
the 2017 hurricane season in Puerto Rico as com-
pared to how the Commission responded to other 
natural disasters, including hurricanes, previously or 
subsequently. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 
shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
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Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a 
report on the findings of the study under subsection (a), 
including any recommendations. 
(d) NO COMBINATION.—Such study and report re-
quired by subsection (a), (b), or (c) may not be combined 
or associated with any other ongoing, or subsequently re-
quested, study by the Comptroller General. 
(e) PROCEEDING.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall 
commence a proceeding regarding what actions are appro-
priate for the Commission to take in addressing the find-
ings and recommendations outlined in the report issued 
under subsection (c). 
SEC. 7. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 
Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this 
Act shall affect the operation or authority of the First Re-
sponder Network Authority established by section 6204 of 
the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 
(47 U.S.C. 1424). 
SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) TERMS DEFINED IN SECTION 723 OF COM-
MUNICATIONS
ACT
OF
1934, AS
AMENDED.—The 
terms defined in section 723 of the Communications 
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Act of 1934, as added by section 2, have the mean-
ings given such terms in section 723. 
(2) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 
means the Federal Communications Commission. 
Æ 
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