TSP | Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP)

Roles and Responsibilities

Nine kinds of organizations or entities perform functions related to the Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) Program. Each has a set of responsibilities that help ensure that the overall program works properly

Service Users	Individuals or organizations that have requested and/or received a TSP Authorization Code for a critical circuit or telecommunications service (read more)
Vendors	Individuals, associations, partnerships, corporations, organizations, or other entities (including common carriers and government organizations) offering telecommunications equipment, facilities, services, or combination thereof (read more)
Nonregulated Telecommunications Service Providers	A government agency or other nonregulated service vendor providing NS/EP services acting as a service vendor. FCC TSP Program rules are binding for services these vendors provide if they connect to TSP services provided by a common carrier. The procedures described in this website for how to obtain and implement restoration and/or provisioning priorities apply to these nonregulated telecommunications services, as well.
Sponsors	Individuals in Federal agencies who review and sponsor TSP requests from non-Federal organizations (read more)
Invocation Officials	Individuals within an organization who have the authority to request TSP provisioning for a telecommunications service (read more)
Federal Communications Commission	The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) provides regulatory oversight of NS/EP TSP Program implementation. It also enforces TSP rules and regulations; acts as a final authority for approval, revision, or disapproval of priority actions by the Executive Office of the President (EOP); and functions as a sponsoring Federal organization.
Executive Office of the President	The FCC designated the Executive Office of the President (EOP) as the official administrator of the TSP Program. The EOP has delegated responsibilities to the Manager, National Communications System (NCS), but acts as the final approval or denial authority for assignments of TSP priority levels.
Manager, National Communications System	The Manager, National Communications System (NCS), is responsible for implementing the TSP Program and has established the TSP Program Office to administer the system on a daily basis. The TSP Program Office's responsibilities are as follows: Receive, process, and evaluate requests for priority actions from service users Approve, deny or reassign TSP priority level assignments Convey TSP priority level assignments to the service user Revise, revalidate, reconcile, and revoke TSP priority level assignments with service users and service vendors as necessary to maintain the viability of the TSP Program Maintain a database of TSP priority level assignments and TSP users Issue new or revised regulations, procedures, and instructional material supplemental to and consistent with the operation, administration, and use of the TSP Program.
TSP Oversight Committee	The TSP Oversight Committee, established in July 1990, is responsible for identifying, reviewing, and recommending actions to correct or prevent any systemic problems in the TSP Program. The TSP Oversight Committee membership is comprised of an FCC representative, the National Coordinating Center Manager, a TSP Program Office representative, seven individuals from Federal agencies, seven individuals from industry, and two individuals from State government.

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