Title: Securing Access to Networks in Disasters Act
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Securing Access to Networks in Disasters Act
This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to submit to Congress and publish on the FCC website a study on the public safety benefits, technical feasibility, and cost of providing the public with access to 9-1-1 services during times of emergency when mobile service is unavailable, through:
The types of emergencies subject to this bill are: (1) occasions or instances under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act for which the President determines that federal assistance is needed to supplement state and local efforts and capabilities to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in any part of the United States; or (2) an emergency declared by the governor of a state or U.S. territory.
The Stafford Act is amended to expand the categories of essential service providers that may access a disaster site to restore and repair essential services in an emergency or major disaster without being denied or impeded by a federal agency. Services to be considered essential are wireline or mobile telephone service, Internet access service, radio or television broadcasting, cable service, or direct broadcast satellite service.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 588 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the 
   Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined 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 conduct a study on 
 network resiliency during times of emergency, 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 ``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 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 provider-owned WiFi 
        access points, and other communications technologies operating 
        on unlicensed spectrum, 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 DURING FEDERALLY DECLARED 
              EMERGENCIES.

    Section 427(a)(1)(A) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5189e(a)(1)(A)) is amended by 
striking ``telecommunications service'' and inserting ``wireline or 
mobile telephone service, Internet access service, radio or television 
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 commercial 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 
        Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1401));
            (3) the term ``WiFi access point'' means wireless Internet 
        access using the standard designated as 802.11 or any variant 
        thereof; and
            (4) the term ``times of emergency'' means either 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.
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