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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 123 / Wednesday, June 30, 2021 / Proposed Rules
10. In August 2014, T-Mobile experienced two network outages that, taken together, resulted in 50,000,000
subscribers nationwide being unable to reach 911 call takers for a three-hour period. T-Mobile Order. During that time, PSAPs were not informed of the outage and consequently could not promptly notify the public of alternative means to reach emergency services. TMobile Order. And, in March 2017, AT&T Mobility experienced a network outage that resulted in 135,000,000
subscribers nationwide being unable to reach 911 call takers for a five-hour period. PSHSB, March 8, 2017 AT&T
VoLTE 911 Outage Report and Recommendations, PS Docket No, 17
68, at 3, n.1 2017, https apps.fcc.gov/
edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC344941A1.pdf AT&T VoLTE 911
Outage Report. PSAPs did not receive information about the AT&T Mobility outage until approximately three and a half hours after the outage began and approximately two and a half hours after AT&T Mobility sent internal mass notifications to company executives and senior staff about the event. AT&T
Mobility Order; AT&T VoLTE 911
Outage Report; Letter from Karima Holmes, Director, District of Columbia Office of Unified Communications, to PSHSB, PS Docket No. 1768, at 12
Mar. 31, 2017.
11. The Commission now proposes to require that originating service providers and covered 911 service providers notify PSAPs about all such outages within the same timeframe, by the same means, and with the same frequency. The Commission specifically proposes to require originating service providers to notify potentially affected 911 special facilities of an outage within the same time frame required for covered 911 service providers. As noted above, that time frame is as soon as possible but no later than 30 minutes after discovering the outage. The Commission also seeks comment on whether this timeframe is adequate for PSAPs. The Commission seeks comment on whether and how to improve this proposal to shorten this timeframe for either or both sets of providers and/or adjust the reporting criteria to ensure more rapid and effective notification to PSAPs. For example, would automatic PSAP notification, triggered upon detection of an outage, be possible, provide value to PSAPs, and be in the public interest? The Commission also proposes that originating service providers transmit such notification, as presently required for covered 911
service providers, by telephone and in writing via electronic means and that
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they communicate additional material information as that information becomes available, but no later than two hours after the initial notification. The Commission seeks comment on its proposed means for PSAP notification.
Are these meansby telephone and in writing via electronic meansadequate for notifications from originating service providers? Are they adequate for notifications from covered 911 service providers? Are there alternative methods of notification that PSAPs would prefer? The Commission also seeks comment on the proposed frequency of updating PSAPs with material outage information. Is this proposed frequency sufficient for PSAPs? During an extended outage, when material information may not change for many hours, how should the Commission require originating and covered 911 service providers keep PSAPs informed?
12. The Commission anticipates that such changes will enhance PSAP
situational awareness of outages generally and will ensure that PSAPs receive critical information in a timely manner by providing a uniform set of expectations for those providers with whom they interface. This in turn will enhance PSAPs abilities to direct scarce resources toward mitigating outages rather than seeking out information and will further streamline the ability of the Commission to administer the rules and the ability of providers to fulfill their obligations. This view was underscored by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials APCO, and comments from other public safety stakeholders during the Bureaus 2017
workshop on best practices and recommendations to improve situational awareness during 911 outages. Public safety officials stated that the critical information contained in these notifications enables them to be more efficient. One participant, Dave Mulholland of Arlington County 911, stated that prompt communication of this critical information would save a lot of time, energy, and effort by preventing PSAPs from needing to reach out to neighboring PSAPs to determine the breadth of an outage. Evelyn Bailey of the National Association of State 911
Administrators NASNA continued, stating that PSAPs need to know as much specific outage information as possible. Public safety representatives requested that PSAPs receive equivalent outage notifications regardless of where in the network an outage occurs. In other words, according to the public safety representatives speaking during the webcast, PSAP notifications should
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not differ depending on whether the outage is caused by a disruption in an originating service providers network versus a covered 911 service providers network. As discussed below, PSAPs that receive actionable 911 outage notifications use the information in these notifications to facilitate reliable and timely public access to emergency services.
13. The Commission seeks comment on its proposal to harmonize the timing, means, and frequency of PSAP
notification for originating service providers and covered 911 service providers. While the Commission observes that the AT&T Mobility and TMobile outages referenced above provide examples of inadequate PSAP
notifications by originating service providers in the context of outages that only affect 911 calls, the Commission notes that both originating and covered 911 service providers have notice obligations. Both must include any required information in a notification to a PSAP only to the extent that it is available, both at the time of the initial notification and at the time of subsequent updates, regardless of whether the outage is a 911 outage or a general network outage that prevents all calls, insofar as either the outage disrupts or prevents communications to a PSAP or has the potential to do so. 47
CFR 4.9a4, c2iv, e1v, f4, g1i, h. The Commission seeks comment on any alternative requirements that the Commission should consider to minimize potential burdens, if any, on PSAPs and service providers.
14. Under the Commissions proposed rules, if adopted, originating service providers would be under greater time pressure to notify PSAPs; would need to provide contact information so that the PSAP can reach them for follow up;
would need to provide notification by two means e.g., phone call and email instead of one; and would need to provide follow-up notification. The Commission seeks comment on the extent to which these changes would increase the burden of PSAP
notification for originating service providers. For example, the Commission seeks comment on whether originating service providers would need to transmit multiple, regional PSAP
notifications under the proposed rules when 911 outages affect areas monitored by more than one Network Operations Center NOC and the local NOC is the best point of contact for PSAPs outagerelated inquiries, whereas the Commissions current rules would only require them to transmit one.

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