New laws cover satellite alerts and Sacramento land interests
By Staff Writer · Published 10/22/2026, 9:24:26 PM ET
Two bills signed October 22 direct future satellite-alert rules and let qualifying Sacramento parcel owners buy federal reversionary interests.
President Donald Trump signed two laws Thursday directing federal work on satellite-delivered emergency alerts and the sale of certain federal land interests in Sacramento, California, the White House announced. The October 22 signing notice covers the Mystic Alerts Act, H.R. 7022, and the Reversionary Interest Conveyance Act, H.R. 952.
The satellite law requires the Federal Communications Commission to propose rules within six months of enactment and issue final rules within 18 months, consulting the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The rules must account for what satellites and receiving phones can do while minimizing disruption to other communications, including 911.
The final rule has a later implementation timetable. It takes effect at the later of 36 months after publication in the Federal Register or 12 months after Homeland Security and FEMA implement the standards, protocols or procedures needed to support the alerts. The signing therefore does not establish that a satellite-alert service is available now.
Covered mobile providers must file their decision on carrying satellite emergency alerts within 60 days after the final rule takes effect. The act covers providers that voluntarily participate in the existing federal mobile-alert system and also offer satellite voice and data service. A provider may choose not to carry the satellite alerts, but must notify affected subscribers of that choice.
Providers that participate must follow the FCC requirements and respect the alert opt-outs available under the existing federal framework. They cannot add a separate charge for the satellite-alert transmission or capability. The act also provides liability protections for providers that meet its requirements, and says declining satellite-alert participation does not itself establish liability.
The Sacramento law concerns federal reversionary interests associated with approximately 8.43 acres administered by the Bureau of Land Management. It allows owners of the affected parcels to request the interests attached to their own property; it does not authorize an owner to buy the interests associated with someone else’s parcel.
After receiving an eligible owner’s request, the Interior secretary, acting through BLM, has two years to offer the applicable interest. Conveyance requires payment of the appraised value, cannot be below fair market value and remains subject to valid existing rights. Buyers must also pay survey, appraisal and administrative costs.
Sale proceeds go to the Federal Land Disposal Account. The law also prevents the conveyance from reducing the specified railroad right-of-way below 50 feet on each side of the track centerline and does not validate certain unconfirmed property claims based on adverse possession, prescription or abandonment.
What it means
The satellite law establishes a rulemaking and implementation process with a provider participation decision still to come. It offers no immediate guarantee that a particular phone or carrier can receive the alerts. For the Sacramento parcels, the change creates a request-and-purchase route for the federal interests; appraisal, payment, existing rights and conveyance steps still apply.
Source
This State & Nation summary is based on The White House’s original release, dated 2026-10-22. The reporting and statistics above are attributed to that publication.