[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1416 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1416
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To provide guidance for and investment in the upgrade and modernization
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Radio
All Hazards network, and for other purposes.
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 ``NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act
of 2023'' or the ``NWR Modernization Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
(a) NOAA Weather Radio.--The term ``NOAA Weather Radio'' means the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Radio All
Hazards network.
(b) Under Secretary.--The term ``Under Secretary'' means the Under
Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and the Administrator
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
SEC. 3. UPGRADING EXISTING SYSTEMS.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary shall, to the maximum extent
practicable, upgrade systems of NOAA Weather Radio in use as of the
date of the enactment of this Act in order to expand coverage and
ensure the reliability of NOAA Weather Radio.
(b) Requirements.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Under
Secretary shall--
(1) maintain support for systems described in such
subsection that serve areas not covered by or having poor
quality cellular service;
(2) ensure consistent maintenance and operations
monitoring, with timely repairs to equipment and antennas at
broadcast transmitter sites;
(3) enhance the ability to amplify non-weather emergency
messages through NOAA Weather Radio as necessary; and
(4) acquire additional transmitters as required to expand
coverage to rural and underserved communities, units of the
National Park System, and National Recreation Areas.
SEC. 4. MODERNIZATION INITIATIVE.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary shall, to the maximum extent
practicable, modernize NOAA Weather Radio to ensure the capabilities
and coverage of NOAA Weather Radio remain valuable to the public.
(b) Requirements.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Under
Secretary shall--
(1) upgrade the telecommunications infrastructure of NOAA
Weather Radio to accelerate the transition of broadcasts to
media that provide an increase in reliability and repairability
over copper media;
(2) accelerate software upgrades to the Advanced Weather
Interactive Processing System of the National Weather Service,
or any relevant successors of the system, in order to implement
partial county notifications and alerts;
(3) enhance the accessibility and usability of data and
feeds of NOAA Weather Radio, with the feedback of the public
and user groups;
(4) develop options, including satellite backup capability
and commercial provider partnerships, for continuity of service
provided by NOAA Weather Radio in the event of outages among
Weather Forecast Offices;
(5) research and develop alternative options, including
microwave capabilities, to transmit signals from NOAA Weather
Radio to transmitters that are remote or do not have Internet
Protocol capability; and
(6) transition critical applications to the Integrated
Dissemination Program of the National Weather Service, or any
relevant successors of the program.
(c) Priorities.--In carrying out subsections (a) and (b), the Under
Secretary shall prioritize practices, capabilities, and technologies
recommended in the assessment required by subsection (d) in order to
maximize the accessibility of NOAA Weather Radio, particularly in
remote areas of the United States and areas that are at risk for a lack
of access to weather information in the event of an emergency weather
event.
(d) Assessment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall complete
and submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives an
assessment of access to NOAA Weather Radio.
(2) Considerations and recommendations.--In conducting the
assessment required by paragraph (1), the Under Secretary shall
take into consideration and provide recommendations on--
(A) the need for continuous, adequate, and
operational real-time broadcasts from NOAA Weather
Radio;
(B) solicited input on the compatibility of NOAA
Weather Radio data with third-party platforms that
provide online services, such as websites and mobile
device applications, or deliver access to NOAA Weather
Radio;
(C) existing or new management systems, which
promote consistent, efficient, and compatible access to
NOAA Weather Radio;
(D) the ability of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration to aggregate real-time
broadcast feeds at one or more central locations;
(E) effective coordination between agencies with
responsibilities relating to emergencies and natural
disasters;
(F) the potential effects of an electromagnetic
pulse or geomagnetic disturbance on NOAA Weather Radio;
and
(G) improvements of hazardous weather and water
event communications to more clearly inform action and
increase the likelihood that the public takes such
action to prevent the loss of life or property.
Passed the Senate December 18, 2023.
Attest:
Secretary.
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1416
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To provide guidance for and investment in the upgrade and modernization
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Radio
All Hazards network, and for other purposes.