Washington, DC - Aug 6, 2010 - The Federal Communications Commission is encouraging radio and television broadcasters who have not yet voluntarily enrolled in the Commission's Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) to do so. The FCC further encouraged radio and television broadcasters who are enrolled to update their contact information on a routine basis.

The DIRS program provides the FCC with situational awareness about which licensed broadcast stations are operating during, and immediately following, a disaster or large-scale emergency; and it enables the Commission to act swiftly to help those broadcasters that are off-the-air restore operations and provide important emergency-related information and updates to the public.

When a major disaster is declared, participating broadcasters serving all or part of the disaster area will be asked to submit information regarding the status of their station(s). In addition, broadcasters needing assistance can convey those needs to the FCC and its federal partners via DIRS.

The FCC developed the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) to collect information about communications infrastructure status and situational awareness during times of crisis and to provide immediate assistance to broadcasters working to maintain or restore their operations in disasters or large-scale emergencies. DIRS is a voluntary, Web-based system. Using DIRS streamlines the reporting process and allows broadcasters to share station status with the Commission, the Department of Homeland Security (including FEMA) and other federal agencies authorized to participate in Emergency Support Function 2 (ESF-2) activities quickly and efficiently.

DA 10-1459