The FCC established the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) on September 11, 2007, in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
DIRS is a voluntary, web-based system through which the Commission collects operational status and restoration information from communications providers during major disasters and subsequent recovery efforts. DIRS provides communications providers with a single, coordinated, consistent process to report their communications infrastructure status information during disasters. DIRS collects infrastructure status information from wireline, wireless, broadcast, cable, interconnected VoIP, and broadband service providers. DIRS reporting is mandatory for all Stage 2 recipients of the Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and the Connect USVI Fund.
During times of crisis, DIRS enables communications providers to quickly report service degradations and request assistance. In turn, the FCC compiles the data and provides network status information to federal emergency management officials as well as publishes public reports of aggregated restoration information. The FCC’s analysis informs restoration efforts by federal partners and the agency’s own assessments of communications reliability during disasters. The infrastructure status information reported in DIRS is presumed confidential.
DIRS activations typically precede an anticipated major emergency, like a major hurricane, or follow an unpredictable disaster. The FCC announces DIRS activations through public notices and emails to DIRS participants. The announcements list the counties covered in the activation and provide reporting and contact information. These announcements will also note whether the FCC will suspend its rules on network outage reporting for DIRS participants during the DIRS activation period.
In recent years, DIRS was activated for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate in 2017; for Hurricanes Lane, Florence, and Michael in 2018; and for Hurricanes Barry and Dorian in 2019. In addition, DIRS was activated in response to the power shutoffs in California in 2019 and for earthquakes in Puerto Rico in January 2020. Public reports related to these DIRS activations are placed on the Commission’s website.
Access DIRS
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*This system is for communications providers only
Resources
- DIRS Activations
- Disaster Support For Broadcasters
- Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Amendments to Part 4 of the Commission's Rules Concerning Disruptions to Communications
For questions about DIRS, contact:
Julia Tu
Email: Julia.Tu@fcc.gov
Phone: 202-418-0731
David Ahn
Email: David.Ahn@fcc.gov
Phone: 202-418-0853