Winter Storm Uri Update
Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, Federal Communications Commission
February 17, 2021
As Winter Storm Uri moves across the Southeast, the Federal Communications Commission is working with federal partners and service providers to help respond to any communications service interruptions as quickly and safely as possible.  The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau initiated coordination with the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Monday, February 15 to identify any impacts to communications, especially 911.  The Bureau also is in contact with telecommunications providers serving the area.  
At this time, the FCC is aware of network issues following severe weather in several areas of the country.  Initial reports indicate that communications service providers are working to ensure the availability of communications.  Due to the interdependencies between power and communications service, power outages and rolling brownouts are forcing communications service providers to rely on backup power; however, icy roads are affecting their ability to refuel generators.  DHS FEMA and CISA are working with the FCC and state and local authorities to identify and refuel priority communications sites.
The following information is a report on the status of communications services in Texas and Oklahoma as a result of the severe winter weather as of February 17, 2021 at 10:30 AM EST. This report incorporates network outage data submitted by communications providers to the Federal Communications Commission’s Network Outage Reporting System (NORS). Note that the operational status of communications services during a disaster may evolve rapidly, and this report represents a snapshot in time. 

Currently, the FCC has received the following reports about the storm:
 
Count of Outages
Wireless Users Affected
Wireline Users Affected
VoIP Users Affected
OC3 Affected
OKLAHOMA
7
23,208
270
0
1
TEXAS
140
279,585
9,354
33,331
10,395
Grand Total
147
302,793
9,624
33,331
10,396
 
Of these outages, a total of four 911 call centers (Public Safety Access Points) in Texas and Oklahoma have been affected.