FCC rules aim to make 911 more reliable

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is moving forward with new requirements for 911 service providers to report “major disruptions” to emergency networks.

The phone companies that service the emergency networks will be required to report outages to 911 operators within 30 minutes of discovering the problem.

{mosads}Previously, these phone companies were required to report emergency network outages “as soon as possible,” but did not have a specific time frame.

These phone companies will still be required to report certain outages to the FCC. In addition, they will also be required to notify 911 operators as well as leave contact information for emergency officials to reach them and follow up with questions.

The FCC said the changes come in response to a 2012 storm that disrupted 911 service in the Midwest and mid-Atlantic.

The agency said the reports will be kept confidential except in cases where information is shared with the Department of Homeland Security.

The new rules go into effect immediately.