Warning, Alert, and Response Network Act

Bill: 109-hr-5556
Sponsor: Rep. Shimkus, John [R-IL-19]
Introduced: 2006-06-08 in the House
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Antennas
Broadband
Cable television
Communication satellites
Compensation (Law)
Congress
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Department of Commerce
Economics and Public Finance
Emergency communication systems
Energy
Executive reorganization
Federal Communications Commission
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to research
Federal-Indian relations
Federal-local relations
Federal-state relations
Government Operations and Politics
Independent regulatory commissions
Infrastructure
Infrastructure (Economics)
Internet
Law
Liability (Law)
Minorities
Nuclear power plants
Public broadcasting
Radio broadcasting
Research and development
Science, Technology, Communications
Technological innovations
Telephone
Television broadcasting
Television relay systems
Wireless communication

Summary:
action_date: 2006-06-08
text: 
Warning, Alert, and Response Network Act - Establishes: (1) a voluntary National Alert System to provide a public communications system capable of alerting the public to emergency situations on a national, regional, or local basis; and (2) the National Alert Office within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to administer, operate, and manage the System. 
 
Sets forth System functions and capabilities, including: (1) enabling federal, state, tribal, or local government officials with credentials issued by the Office to alert the public to imminent threats that present a significant risk of injury or death; and (2) incorporating multiple communications technologies without interfering with existing alerts or communications systems employed by emergency response personnel. 
 
Requires the Office to establish a process for issuing credentials to enable officials responsible for issuing safety warnings to access the System. 
 
Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to initiate proceedings to: (1) allow licensees providing commercial mobile service to elect to transmit System alerts to subscribers; and (2) require public broadcast television licensees to install necessary equipment to enable transmitters to receive and retransmit System alerts.
 
Requires the Director of the Office to: (1) establish a National Alert System Working Group to develop recommendations for protocols, procedures, guidelines, and standards and to work with the operators of nuclear power plants and other critical infrastructure facilities to integrate emergency alert systems; and (2) establish an extramural research and development program to support the development of technology that will enable all existing and future providers of communications services and devices to be utilized effectively with the System.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-06-23
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.
action_date: 2006-06-20
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment, Technology, and Standards.
action_date: 2006-06-08
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Science, 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.
action_date: 2006-06-08
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Science, 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.
action_date: 2006-06-08
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Science, 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.
action_date: 2006-06-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2006-06-08
text: Introduced in House