H.R. 6096 would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in consultation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to adopt regulations to:
Ensure subscribers to commercial mobile services receive emergency alerts from FEMA,
Require State Emergency Communication Committees (SECCs) to review and update their Emergency Alert System (EAS) plans each year and submit those plans to the FCC for approval,
Establish a system to collect false alert reports under the EAS or Wireless Emergency Alert System, and
Modify the EAS to allow repeating messages from the President or FEMA while an emergency persists.
H.R. 6096 also would require the FCC to study the feasibility of providing EAS alerts through Internet-based applications.
Using information from the affected agencies, CBO estimates that it would cost the FCC $2 million over the 2021-2025 period to implement the bill. However, because the FCC is authorized to collect fees each year sufficient to offset the appropriated costs of its regulatory activities, CBO estimates that the net cost to the FCC would be negligible, assuming appropriation actions consistent with that authority. CBO also estimates that it would cost FEMA less than $500,000 to assist the FCC with rulemaking, subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
