PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 445 12 th St., S.W. Internet: http://www.fcc.gov Washington, D.C. 20554 TTY: 1-888-835-5322 DA 18-289 Released March 23, 2018 FCC’S PUBLIC SAFETY & HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU ANNOUNCES DEACTIVATION OF THE DISASTER INFORMATION REPORTING SYSTEM FOR AREAS IMPACTED BY HURRICANE MARIA In coordination with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Coordinating Center for Communications and Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) deactivates the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) with respect to areas impacted by Hurricane Maria. The FCC activated DIRS for Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017. 1 On November 17, 2017, the FCC amended the request for DIRS information to Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. 2 In total, DIRS remained active for an unprecedented 183 days because of the severity of the hurricane’s impact on communications infrastructure. Effective today, no further reports to DIRS are requested in connection with the status of communications infrastructure in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The FCC will instead commence periodic individual conference calls with relevant communications providers to discuss the status of their restoration efforts as well as lessons learned to prepare for the coming hurricane season. Also, effective today, Network Outage Reporting System reporting obligations under Part 4 of the Commission’s rules 3 , which were suspended for providers reporting in DIRS while DIRS was activated, are now again in effect for new network outages for the area covered by DIRS reporting for Hurricane Maria. If there are major changes, whether improvements or setbacks, to the status of communications in the affected area, the FCC asks communications providers to supply that information directly to FCC personnel at the contact information below as events occur. The FCC continues to be available to address emergency communications needs related to Hurricane Maria 24 hours per day, seven days per week through our 24-hour operations center, which can 1 FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Activates Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands for Hurricane Maria, DA-17-912, rel. Sept. 20, 2017, available at https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-activates-disaster-information-reporting-hurricane-maria 2 The FCC’s Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau Announces Amended Schedule for Filing Hurricane Maria Reports in the Disaster Information Reporting System, DA 17-1122, rel. Nov. 17, 2017, available at https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-17-1122A1_Rcd.pdf. 3 47 C.F.R. Part 4. be reached on 202-418-1122 or fccops@fcc.gov. 4 This combination of measures will provide the Commission with the necessary situational awareness as service restoration continues. The Commission will continue its focus on disaster preparedness, including an upcoming workshop and meetings with industry segments, in preparation for the beginning of the 2018 hurricane season on June 1. Complete information regarding FCC actions in response to Hurricane Maria remains available at https://www.fcc.gov/maria. Contact Information: John Healy of the PSHSB’s Cybersecurity and Communications Reliability Division at (215) 847-8094 (John.Healy@fcc.gov) or the FCC Operations Center at (202) 418-1122 (fccops@fcc.gov). 4 See Federal Communications Commission Provides 24/7 Emergency Contact Information for Hurricane Maria, Public Notice, DA 17-910, rel. Sept. 20, 2017, available at https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-17-910A1.pdf.