The FCC has a number of resources ready to help broadcast stations affected by Hurricane Ian.  A 24/7 FCC Operations Center can be contacted at 202-418-1122 or fccops@fcc.gov.  The Operations Center has and can send you a Reentry Letter to allow post-storm access to storm impacted areas. Our firm has a copy of that letter as well.

Information about using emergency antennas and filing applications for special temporary authority to either remain silent or operate with other than licensed parameters can be found at this link.

The FCC’s Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) is another tool for affected stations.  DIRS is a voluntary, web-based system through which the Commission collects operational status and restoration information from communications providers during major disasters and subsequent recovery efforts.  During times of crisis, DIRS enables communications providers, including broadcasters, to quickly report service degradations and request assistance.  In turn, the FCC compiles the data and provides network status information to federal emergency management officials as well as publishes public reports of aggregated restoration information.  The FCC’s analysis informs restoration efforts by federal partners and the agency’s own assessments of communications reliability during disasters.  The infrastructure status information reported in DIRS is presumed confidential.  DIRS enrollment can be completed here.