Title: READI Act
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement Act of 2020 or READI Act
This bill modifies how citizens receive emergency alerts through wireless and broadcast emergency alert systems.
Specifically, the bill includes emergency alerts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a type of alert that mobile subscribers may not block from their devices. (Currently, only alerts from the President may not be blocked.)
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must adopt regulations that encourage states to establish a State Emergency Communications Committee (SECC) and provide that each SECC meets at least annually to review and update its Emergency Alert System (EAS) Plan. The FCC must approve or disapprove the updated plan.
The FCC shall also (1) establish a system to receive from FEMA or state, tribal, or local governments reports of false alerts under the EAS or the Wireless EAS and to record such false alerts and examine their causes; (2) modify the EAS to provide for repeating messages while an alert remains pending; and (3) examine the feasibility of offering EAS alerts through the internet, including through audio and video streaming services.


[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6096 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6096

 To improve oversight by the Federal Communications Commission of the 
            wireless and broadcast emergency alert systems.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 5, 2020

 Mr. McNerney (for himself, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. Olson, and Ms. Gabbard) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation 
 and Infrastructure, 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 improve oversight by the Federal Communications Commission of the 
            wireless and broadcast emergency alert systems.

    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 ``Reliable Emergency Alert 
Distribution Improvement Act of 2020'' or the ``READI Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act--
            (1) the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of 
        the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
            (2) the term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
        Communications Commission;
            (3) the term ``Emergency Alert System'' means the national 
        public warning system, the rules for which are set forth in 
        part 11 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations (or any 
        successor regulation); and
            (4) the term ``Wireless Emergency Alert System'' means the 
        wireless national public warning system established under the 
        Warning, Alert, and Response Network Act (47 U.S.C. 1201 et 
        seq.), the rules for which are set forth in part 10 of title 
        47, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation).

SEC. 3. WIRELESS EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM OFFERINGS.

    (a) Amendment.--Section 602(b)(2)(E) of the Warning, Alert, and 
Response Network Act (47 U.S.C. 1201(b)(2)(E)) is amended--
            (1) by striking the second and third sentences; and
            (2) by striking ``other than an alert issued by the 
        President.'' and inserting the following: ``other than an alert 
        issued by--
                            ``(i) the President; or
                            ``(ii) the Administrator of the Federal 
                        Emergency Management Agency.''.
    (b) Regulations.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Commission shall adopt regulations to 
implement the amendment made by subsection (a)(2).

SEC. 4. STATE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM PLANS AND EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS 
              COMMITTEES.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``SECC'' means a State Emergency 
        Communications Committee;
            (2) the term ``State'' means any State of the United 
        States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto 
        Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, 
        the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any 
        possession of the United States; and
            (3) the term ``State EAS Plan'' means a State Emergency 
        Alert System Plan as required in part 11 of title 47, Code of 
        Federal Regulations.
    (b) State Emergency Communications Committee.--Not later than 180 
days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall 
adopt regulations that--
            (1) encourage the chief executive of each State--
                    (A) to establish an SECC if the State does not have 
                an SECC; or
                    (B) if the State has an SECC, to review the 
                composition and governance of the SECC;
            (2) provide that--
                    (A) each SECC, not less frequently than annually, 
                shall--
                            (i) meet to review and update its State EAS 
                        Plan;
                            (ii) certify to the Commission that the 
                        SECC has met as required under clause (i); and
                            (iii) submit to the Commission an updated 
                        State EAS Plan; and
                    (B) not later than 60 days after the date on which 
                the Commission receives an updated State EAS Plan under 
                subparagraph (A)(iii), the Commission shall--
                            (i) approve or disapprove the updated State 
                        EAS Plan; and
                            (ii) notify the chief executive of the 
                        State of the Commission's findings; and
            (3) establish a State EAS Plan content checklist for SECCs 
        to use when reviewing and updating a State EAS Plan for 
        submission to the Commission under paragraph (2)(A).
    (c) Consultation.--The Commission shall consult with the 
Administrator regarding the adoption of regulations under subsection 
(b)(3).

SEC. 5. FALSE ALERT REPORTING.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Commission, in consultation with the Administrator, shall complete 
a rulemaking proceeding to establish a system to receive from the 
Administrator or State, Tribal, or local governments reports of false 
alerts under the Emergency Alert System or the Wireless Emergency Alert 
System for the purpose of recording such false alerts and examining 
their causes.

SEC. 6. REPEATING EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM MESSAGES FOR NATIONAL 
              SECURITY.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Commission, in consultation with the 
Administrator, shall complete a rulemaking proceeding to modify the 
Emergency Alert System to provide for repeating Emergency Alert System 
messages while an alert remains pending that is issued by--
            (1) the President;
            (2) the Administrator; or
            (3) any other entity under specified circumstances as 
        determined by the Commission, in consultation with the 
        Administrator.
    (b) Scope of Rulemaking.--Subsection (a)--
            (1) shall apply to warnings of national security events, 
        meaning emergencies of national significance, such as a missile 
        threat, terror attack, or other act of war; and
            (2) shall not apply to more typical warnings, such as a 
        weather alert, AMBER Alert, or disaster alert.

SEC. 7. INTERNET AND ONLINE STREAMING SERVICES EMERGENCY ALERT 
              EXAMINATION.

    (a) Study.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, and after providing public notice and opportunity for 
comment, the Commission shall complete an inquiry to examine the 
feasibility of updating the Emergency Alert System to enable or improve 
alerts to consumers provided through the internet, including through 
streaming services.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 90 days after completing the inquiry 
under subsection (a), the Commission shall submit a report on the 
findings and conclusions of the inquiry to--
            (1) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
        of the Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
        Representatives.
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