The FCC said Friday that, effective immediately, federal, state and tribal agencies can get read-only access to information in its Network Outage Reporting System (NORS) and voluntary Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS). Under NORS, “providers [wireline, cable, satellite, wireless, interconnected VoIP] are required to report network outages that last at least 30 minutes and satisfy other specific thresholds,” while DIRS is a voluntary web-based system in which providers volunteer operational status and restoration information during national disasters.
Stations Need To Be Ready For Emergencies
With Hurricane Florence about to hit the East Coast, broadcasters are well reminded of their obligations with respect to the airing of emergency information. Broadcasters may also want to consider the benefits that the FCC can offer in an emergency. While the FCC yesterday announced the postponement of its test of DIRS, the Disaster Information Reporting System, broadcasters may want to consider quickly getting familiar with this system. The voluntary system allows stations in the area affected by any disaster to report on the status of their operations.
