[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 69 (Monday, April 20, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H2970-H2971]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MYSTIC ALERTS ACT
Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 7022) to provide for the transmission of emergency alerts by
satellite, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 7022
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Mystic Alerts Act''.
SEC. 2. TRANSMISSION OF EMERGENCY ALERTS BY SATELLITE.
(a) Service Provider Election.--
(1) Required filing.--Not later than 60 days after the
effective date of the final rule required to be issued under
subsection (b), each covered service provider shall file an
election with the Federal Communications Commission with
respect to whether the provider intends to transmit emergency
alerts by satellite to the subscribers of the commercial
mobile service of the provider who receive such service on
devices capable of receiving such alerts, in addition to the
transmission of emergency alerts under the Warning Alert, and
Response Network Act.
(2) Notification; agreement.--If a provider elects to
transmit emergency alerts to subscribers by satellite under
paragraph (1), the provider shall--
(A) notify the Commission of that election; and
(B) agree to transmit such alerts in a manner consistent
with the technical standards, protocols, procedures, and
other technical requirements implemented by the Commission.
(3) Election not to transmit.--If a provider elects not to
transmit emergency alerts by satellite under paragraph (1),
the provider shall provide notice to new and existing
subscribers described in such paragraph of that election in
the same manner that is required under subparagraphs (B) and
(C) of section 602(b)(1) of the Warning, Alert, and Response
Network Act.
(4) Consumer choice to opt out.--If a provider elects to
transmit emergency alerts to subscribers of such service by
satellite under paragraph (1), the provider shall prevent the
device of any such subscriber that opts out of receiving
emergency alerts pursuant to section 602(b)(2)(E) of the
Warning, Alert, and Response Network Act, or classes of such
alerts, from receiving such alerts by satellite.
(5) No fee for service.--If a provider elects to transmit
emergency alerts to subscribers by satellite under paragraph
(1), the provider may not impose a separate or additional
charge for such transmission or capability.
(b) Satellite Alert Regulations.--
(1) Notice of proposed rulemaking.--Not later than 6 months
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commission
shall publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to establish
any requirements necessary to facilitate the satellite
alerting capability of covered service providers.
(2) Requirements.--The requirements required by paragraph
(1) shall--
(A) take into account the capability of--
(i) satellites to transmit emergency alerts; and
(ii) mobile devices to receive and display such alerts; and
(B) minimize the impact of emergency alerting on other
voice and data communications, including 9-1-1
communications.
(3) Final rule.--Not later than 18 months after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall, in
consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency,
issue a final rule establishing the requirements described
under paragraph (1).
(4) Effective date of rule.--
(A) Date.--The effective date of the final rule described
under paragraph (3) shall be the later of--
(i) 36 months after publication of the final rule in the
Federal Register; or
(ii) 12 months after the Secretary of Homeland Security and
the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
implement any standards, protocols, or procedures necessary
to support the transmission of emergency alerts from alert
originators to covered service providers, the Secretary and
the Administrator shall notify the Commission of such
implementation.
(B) Notification.--The Secretary of Homeland Security and
the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
shall notify the Commission of the implementation of any
standards, protocols, or procedures described under
subparagraph (A)(ii) for the purpose of determining the
effective date of the final rule described under paragraph
(3).
(c) Limitation of Liability.--
(1) In general.--Any covered service provider (including
its officers, directors, employees, vendors, and agents) that
transmits emergency alerts by satellite and meets its
obligations under this Act shall not be liable to any
subscriber to, or user of, such person's service or equipment
for--
(A) any act or omission related to or any harm resulting
from the transmission of, or failure to transmit, an
emergency alert by satellite; or
(B) the release to a government agency or entity, public
safety, fire service, law enforcement official, emergency
medical service, or emergency facility of subscriber
information used in connection with delivering such an alert.
(2) Election not to transmit alerts by satellite.--The
election by a covered service provider under subsection
(a)(3) not to transmit emergency alerts by satellite shall
not, by itself, provide a basis for liability against the
provider (including its officers, directors, employees,
vendors, and agents).
(d) Covered Service Provider.--In this Act, ``covered
service provider'' means a provider of commercial mobile
service that--
(1) voluntarily elects to transmit emergency alerts under
section 602(b) of the Warning, Alert, and Response Network
Act (Public Law 109-347; 42 U.S.C. 1201); and
(2) makes satellite voice and data communications service
available to subscribers of the commercial mobile service of
the provider.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Allen) and the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. McClellan)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.
General Leave
Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have
5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material in the Record on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Georgia?
There was no objection.
Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, H.R. 7022, the Mystic
Alerts Act, led by Representative Pfluger.
While we work to increase cell phone connectivity across the country,
there are and may always be certain areas of this country that do not
have access to that connectivity.
That can be a problem in times of natural disasters or other
emergencies. If you don't have a connection, you may not be able to
receive a wireless emergency alert or other emergency notifications.
Satellite technology is beginning to bridge that gap with our
[[Page H2971]]
cell phones, and it could bring a huge benefit for public safety.
This legislation would kick-start the process for mobile service
providers to utilize satellite connectivity to send alert messages in
areas that may not have access to terrestrial cell network coverage.
This legislation has strong bipartisan support. I encourage my
colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. McCLELLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7022, the Mystic Alerts Act.
Emergency alerting capabilities have come a long way in recent
decades as a direct byproduct of innovation and breakthroughs in
wireless technology.
Not long ago, 911 calls predominantly were made from landline phones,
and emergency alerts were received primarily over broadcast television
and radio channels.
Both capabilities still exist and have an important role in emergency
communications, but I expect for most Americans, they make their 911
calls and receive their emergency alerts on their cell phone, a
smartphone.
The creation of the Wireless Emergency Alert, or WEA, in 2012 marked
a significant leap forward in our ability to disseminate warning and
alert messages to the public.
Prior to 2012, Americans needed to already be tuned into broadcast
programming to receive an alert being distributed for any number of
important situations. In the case of a hurricane or a winter storm that
was forecasted in advance, for instance, the Emergency Alert System was
critical for broadly distributing public safety updates and
instructions to viewers. But we know that not all emergencies announce
themselves days in advance.
All across the country, natural disasters like tornadoes, wildfires,
and flash floods show up with little or no advance warning. One tragedy
after another has demonstrated that when a wildfire spreads or
floodwaters rise rapidly without warning, being able to push emergency
warning information out directly to cell phones in a danger zone is one
of the most powerful tools we have to save lives.
The WEA system allows alerting authorities at nearly every level of
government the ability to reach Americans where they are. Cell phones
are ubiquitous today, and if we avoid falling into the traps of unclear
and overalerting, it will only continue to be more effective as
wireless providers and alerting authorities take steps forward to
improve geotargeting and location accuracy.
H.R. 7022 directs the FCC to take steps that will open up the WEA
system so that satellite communication providers can leverage direct-
to-cell capabilities to deliver wireless emergency alerts to cell
phones in terrestrial dead zones where mobile carriers don't have
coverage.
This is incredibly important for Americans who enjoy spending time in
our beautiful national parks and forests, skiing in the mountains, and
exploring other natural areas where connectivity is limited but where
being without emergency information can be deadly, as we saw with
Mystic this summer.
I thank Representatives Fletcher and Pfluger for their leadership on
this effort to not only expand the reach of lifesaving emergency alerts
but to turn tragedy into a victory to ensure more families don't suffer
the same tragedy.
I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7022, and I reserve the balance
of my time.
Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Carter), my good friend.
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the bipartisan H.R.
7022, the Mystic Alerts Act introduced by Congressman Pfluger.
Public safety is one of Congress' most serious responsibilities, and
this bill addresses a clear and urgent gap in our emergency
communication system. Recent disasters have reminded us that when lives
are on the line, emergency alerts must work immediately, reliably, and
everywhere.
But too often, that is not guaranteed. In moments of crisis,
terrestrial communication networks can be damaged, overloaded, or
simply unavailable. When that happens, families may not receive the
warnings they need until it is too late.
{time} 1620
Like Congressman Pfluger, my family was directly impacted by the Camp
Mystic flooding in Texas. As we all know, I had two granddaughters who
were there. They lost one of their cousins, Janie Hunt.
That tragedy showed in the clearest possible terms how fast
conditions can deteriorate and how devastating the consequences can be
when warnings do not reach people in time.
The Mystic Alerts Act takes an important step forward by directing
the FCC to establish standards and requirements for delivering
emergency alerts through satellite connectivity. That means building
redundancy into the system so that when traditional networks fail,
alerts can still get through.
That matters for rural communities. It matters for disaster zones. It
matters for places where geography, infrastructure damage, or network
congestion can leave people isolated at the worst possible moment. It
matters for every American who expects that, in an emergency, the
government will do everything it can to get critical warnings into
their hands.
This legislation will help modernize our emergency alerting
framework, strengthen resilience, and improve our ability to save lives
during floods, wildfires, hurricanes, and other disasters. It also
honors the victims of the Camp Mystic flood by ensuring that we will
not simply mourn tragedy but learn from it and act.
I commend Congressman Pfluger for his leadership and for bringing
forward a practical, bipartisan solution. I urge my colleagues to
support H.R. 7022, the Mystic Alerts Act.
Ms. McCLELLAN. Madam Speaker, in closing, I urge my colleagues to
vote in favor of H.R. 7022, the Mystic Alerts Act, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia for
her support of this bill. I, too, encourage all Members to vote for
H.R. 7022 for immediate passage, and I yield back the balance of my
time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Bice). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 7022, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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