The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau has released its report on its investigation into communications providers’ preparation for and response to Hurricane Michael. The investigation found three major issues which caused the slow restoration of wireless services following the 2018 storm: insufficiently resilient backhaul connectivity, inadequate reciprocal roaming arrangements, and lack of coordination between wireless service providers, power crews, and municipalities.
To improve recovery efforts from future storms, the report recommends wireless providers enter into roaming agreements as part of their pre-storm preparation process, communications providers and power companies in hurricane-prone areas enter into coordination agreements, wireless providers use diverse backhaul options such as microwave links and satellite links, and other improvements to ensure better preparedness for hurricane-prone areas. The full report can be found here.
