wiredinUSA October 2015

Possible new rules for outage reports

well as virtually all connectivity between the US and the rest of the world. While submarine cables are vital to America’s economic and national security, licensees currently only report outages on an ad hoc basis, and the information received by the FCC is too limited to be of use.” New requirements could provide for more accurate reporting, helping regulators to take action to prevent outages that could present a public safety hazard, or a threat to national security. Proposed rules are open for public comment.

The Communications Commission has voted to propose new rules designed to tighten the outage reporting rules with new requirements for submarine cables. The goal, as stated by the FCC, is to “help safeguard this critical communications infrastructure and promote reliable communications for businesses and consumers.” Submarine cables have become a point of vital importance for global telecommunications infrastructure. As the FCC noted in a statement, “There are approximately 60 submarine cables that provide connectivity – voice, data and Internet – between themainland US and Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, as Federal

wiredInUSA - October 2015

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