republic-os/legal/us/code/title-06/chapter-1/section-573.md

type, title, description, jurisdiction, corpus, kind, title_number, title_name, chapter_number, chapter_name, section, citation, status, release_point, release_date, source, source_url, source_identifier, source_file, source_hash, raw_snapshot_hash, text_hash, retrieved_at, confidence, tags

type	title	description	jurisdiction	corpus	kind	title_number	title_name	chapter_number	chapter_name	section	citation	status	release_point	release_date	source	source_url	source_identifier	source_file	source_hash	raw_snapshot_hash	text_hash	retrieved_at	confidence	tags
LegalText	6 U.S.C. § 573	Assessments and reports	us	united_states_code	code_section	6	DOMESTIC SECURITY	1	HOMELAND SECURITY ORGANIZATION	573	6 U.S.C. § 573	current	119-100	2026-06-26	official	https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc06@119-100.zip	/us/usc/t6/s573	data/legal/raw/us/code/title-06/usc06.xml	26195d90014a637cad7a8271f9411393cfa12008c6c64f9b3585d1af513d48a2	a286ebc069cd8c7d317b4084d217abe94cd2a3642b1a3e409a909d1e92452161	c5f22c06959de4c62e4be5e7c6e04f5e4f81f7f0979ad6fbe0c1d6d3930e5e72	2026-07-04	official	legal us-code

6 U.S.C. § 573 - Assessments and reports

Text

(a) Baseline assessment Not later than 1 year after October 4, 2006, and not less than every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary, acting through the Assistant Director for Emergency Communications, shall conduct an assessment of Federal, State, local, and tribal governments that—

(1) defines the range of capabilities needed by emergency response providers and relevant government officials to continue to communicate in the event of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters;

(2) defines the range of interoperable emergency communications capabilities needed for specific events;

(3) assesses the current available capabilities to meet such communications needs;

(4) identifies the gap between such current capabilities and defined requirements; and

(5) includes a national interoperable emergency communications inventory to be completed by the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission that—

(A) identifies for each Federal department and agency—

(i) the channels and frequencies used;

(ii) the nomenclature used to refer to each channel or frequency used; and

(iii) the types of communications systems and equipment used; and

(B) identifies the interoperable emergency communications systems in use by public safety agencies in the United States.

(b) Classified annex The baseline assessment under this section may include a classified annex including information provided under subsection (a)(5)(A).

(c) Savings clause In conducting the baseline assessment under this section, the Secretary may incorporate findings from assessments conducted before, or ongoing on, October 4, 2006.

(d) Progress reports Not later than one year after October 4, 2006, and biennially thereafter, the Secretary, acting through the Assistant Director for Emergency Communications, shall submit to Congress a report on the progress of the Department in achieving the goals of, and carrying out its responsibilities under, this subchapter, including—

(1) a description of the findings of the most recent baseline assessment conducted under subsection (a);

(2) a determination of the degree to which interoperable emergency communications capabilities have been attained to date and the gaps that remain for interoperability to be achieved;

(3) an evaluation of the ability to continue to communicate and to provide and maintain interoperable emergency communications by emergency managers, emergency response providers, and relevant government officials in the event of—

(A) natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters, including Incidents of National Significance declared by the Secretary under the National Response Plan; and

(B) a catastrophic loss of local and regional communications services;

(4) a list of best practices relating to the ability to continue to communicate and to provide and maintain interoperable emergency communications in the event of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters; and

(A) 11 So in original. Probably should be “(5)”. an evaluation of the feasibility and desirability of the Department developing, on its own or in conjunction with the Department of Defense, a mobile communications capability, modeled on the Army Signal Corps, that could be deployed to support emergency communications at the site of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters.

(Pub. L. 107–296, title XVIII, § 1803, as added Pub. L. 109–295, title VI, § 671(b), Oct. 4, 2006, 120 Stat. 1437; amended Pub. L. 115–278, § 2(g)(6)(B), Nov. 16, 2018, 132 Stat. 4179.)

Notes

Editorial Notes

Codification Another section 1803 of Pub. L. 107–296 was renumbered section 1903 and is classified to section 593 of this title.

Amendments2018—Subsecs. (a), (d). Pub. L. 115–278 substituted “Assistant Director for Emergency Communications” for “Director for Emergency Communications” in introductory provisions.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name Reference to the Assistant Director for Emergency Communications deemed to be a reference to the Executive Assistant Director for Emergency Communications, see section 571(g) of this title, enacted Jan. 1, 2021.