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April 20, 2026
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Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue contextMr. 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.
there are and may always be certain areas of this country that do not have access to that connectivity.
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
cell phones, and it could bring a huge benefit for public safety.
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.
decades as a direct byproduct of innovation and breakthroughs in wireless technology.
and emergency alerts were received primarily over broadcast television and radio channels.
communications, but I expect for most Americans, they make their 911 calls and receive their emergency alerts on their cell phone, a smartphone.
a significant leap forward in our ability to disseminate warning and alert messages to the public.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Mystic flooding in Texas. As we all know, I had two granddaughters who were there. They lost one of their cousins, Janie Hunt.
conditions can deteriorate and how devastating the consequences can be when warnings do not reach people in time.
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.
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.
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.