Access to NORS Crucial During Natural Disasters, CPUC Says

Information from the FCC Network Outage Reporting System (NORS) is important for the California Public Utilities Commission to be able to access during and after natural disasters, said a CPUC ex parte filing posted Monday in docket 15-80. Having access to wireline and wireless outage data during emergencies in rural areas especially is critical for residents and emergency responders, the CPUC said. It emphasized the importance of granting California and other states direct access to state-specific outage data in NORS because of the immediate need for states to address public safety and other concerns that arise during and after outages.