As the FCC's primary expert on public safety and homeland security matters, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) promotes the public’s access to reliable 911, emergency alerting, and first responder communications.  We do this by developing and implementing policies, consistent with the FCC’s statutory authority, to ensure that our Nation’s first responders and the American public have access to effective and reliable communications, and by collaborating with Federal government partners responsible for protecting the Nation’s communications infrastructure. At the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, the public’s safety is job 1!

About:

Leadership:

Debra Jordan
Bureau Chief

Contact

Phone: (202) 418-1300
24/7 Operations Center: (202) 418-1122

Recent Notes

Issues and Initiatives

The Commission provides direct, read-only access to filings in the Network Outage Reporting System (NORS) and the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) to agencies of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Tribal nations, territories, and federal government that have official duties that make them directly responsible for emergency management and first responder support functions (Participating Agencies).

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The Secure Networks Act became law in March 2020 and established a process to prohibit the use of federal subsidies to purchase equipment or services deemed to pose national security risks, as well as a reimbursement program that provided for the replacement of communications equipment or services that posed such risks.

The Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts are the two main components of the national public warning system.

The Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council's (CSRIC) mission is to provide recommendations to the FCC to ensure, among other things, optimal security and reliability of communications systems, including telecommunications, media, and public safety.

 

911 is the nation’s universal emergency number for all telephone services and a vital part of our nation's emergency response and disaster preparedness system.

The FCC recently adopted mandatory actions to improve the reliability and resiliency of wireless networks during emergencies. The rules will help reduce wireless phone outages for the public and support faster service restoration after hurricanes, wildfires, and other disasters.