S. 1416 would direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to expand and modernize NOAA Weather Radio (NWR), a nationwide radio network that continuously broadcasts weather forecasts as well as warnings and post-event information for all types of hazards, including earthquakes and 911 outages. The bill would have NOAA expand NWR coverage to rural and underserved areas, national parks, and recreation areas. S.1416 also would direct the agency to modernize the NWR by using the Internet, accelerating software upgrades, and assessing and enhancing access to the NWR broadcasts.
For this estimate, CBO assumes that S. 1416 will be enacted near the end of fiscal year 2023. In 2023, NOAA allocated $10 million for NWR activities. Using information from the agency and based on historical spending patterns for similar activities, CBO estimates that implementing S. 1416 would cost $45 million over the 2024-2028 period, assuming appropriation of the estimated amounts.
That amount consists of $15 million to acquire and install new transmitters, and $30 million to modernize the system, as described above. Those estimated costs incorporate the fact that some of those activities are happening under current law.
The costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall within budget function 300 (natural resources and environment).
