Emergency Communications

Over Valentine's Day weekend 2025, parts of Appalachia, many still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Helene just 5 months earlier, were battered by another round of heavy rain and flooding.

Sometimes, less is better. That applies to the assets Verizon brought to the Los Angeles (CA) area during the devastating wildfires these past couple weeks. Verizon often deploys its Tactical Humanitarian Operations Response (THOR) vehicle when reacting to disasters like hurricanes and wildfires. But not so in LA.

Former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms submitted her letter of resignation from the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) Board to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, effective on January 20, 2025. Mayor Bottoms was appointed to the FirstNet Authority Board and designated the Board Chair in October 2024. Until the incoming Secretary of Commerce appoints a new Board Chair, the FirstNet Authority Board Bylaws direct Vice Chair Renee Gordon to perform the duties of the Board Chair.   

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel dedicated the final meeting of her chairwomanship to hearing presentations from Bureau, Office, and Task Force leaders highlighting Commission efforts from the past four years and thanking Commission staff for their exceptional work. Over the last four years, efforts to promote network security and reliability and strengthen emergency alerting have included: 

At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and state officials, the Federal Communications Commission has boots on the ground through the deployment of spectrum survey teams to assess the impact to cellular communications in Los Angeles County. This data is used to identify communications gaps, which informs emergency response activities and identifies where communications assets are needed.

While communications impacts are minimal so far, the FCC will continue to monitor how these sets of wildfires are affecting residents’ ability to receive the information they need to stay safe. Should conditions change, the agency stands ready to support in any way it can, including any requests to deploy FCC staff to help with any communications network recovery.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced a major step forward in expanding multilingual Wireless Emergency Alerts. Based on public feedback, the agency has created templates for the 18 most commonly issued and time-sensitive alerts in the 13 most commonly spoken languages in the U.S., plus English and American Sign Language (ASL). Public safety officials will have the option to use these customizable multilingual template alerts in order to better warn their communities and save lives.

On December 31, 2024, Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel released a note reflecting on the agency's work over the course of 2024. "The end of the year is always a time for reflection," Chairwoman Rosenworcel said. "That’s especially true for me in 2024 as my service at the Federal Communications Commission is coming to a close. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve in this role and a special privilege to be the first woman confirmed to do so." The Chairwoman categorized her time at the FCC into five core values:

The FirstNet network, operated by the FirstNet Authority as an independent agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), enables the fire service, EMS, and law enforcement to do their jobs more safely and effectively, no matter where they are located. The network is exclusive to emergency services, giving responders the ability to access the resources they need in real time as they respond to incidents.

Today, internet connectivity is critical for everyone. But for many, having a reliable connection can mean the difference between life and death. This is especially true in communities facing natural disasters. From hurricanes to wildfires, droughts to tornadoes, the crises that hit households across the country each year highlight the need for reliable, affordable internet to keep families connected and emergency services accessible.