GAO: FCC Needs a More Clarified Role in Disaster Response Tuesday, June 01, 2021 | Comments The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that while the FCC took actions to support telecommunications restoration following Hurricane Maria, future disaster recovery efforts could be improved by identifying a clearer role for the agency in disaster response. During Hurricane Maria, the FCC collected network outage information, provided staff assistance to Puerto Rico, created the Hurricane Recovery Task Force to support communications restoration in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), and made funds for network restoration available. âHowever, GAO found that FCC's disaster response role was unclear in guidance published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), even though the guidance states that all levels of government should understand their respective roles,â GAOâs report said. âIn particular, DHS did not define specific actions for FCC in the emergency support function guidance related to restoring communications infrastructure; this lack of clarity could have contributed to confusion and delays in the hurricane's aftermath.â