U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) have introduced the Mystic Alerts Act (S. 4968), which would encourage satellite-based service providers to transmit wireless emergency alerts (WEAs). A similar bill (H.R. 7022) passed the House in April. The bill is named in honor of Camp Mystic in Central Texas, where on July 4, 2025, campers and staff were killed by a devastating flood, as were over 100 individuals in the surrounding area. Alerts delivered by satellite can help ensure that communities experiencing such disasters receive wireless emergency alerts even when cellular networks are damaged. If passed, the bill would require satellite-based mobile phone service providers to notify the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) about whether they intend to transmit emergency alerts, and it would direct the FCC to issue any necessary rules.
