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Assuring Communications For Disaster Response

The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the 2005 hurricane season underscored the criticality of resilient, reliable, and available communications in support of Government emergency response activities. Over the years, the NSTAC addressed several key issues in an effort to better prepare the Government for future events.

• Priority Services. The importance of continuity of communications services for critical personnel during times of congestion spurred the NSTAC to provide assistance in the development, implementation, and administration of several priority communications programs, including the Telecommunications Service Priority program and the Wireless Priority Service program. These services remain critical to the Government’s disaster response capabilities. As the underlying network elements of these programs evolve, the NSTAC is examining the NGN to determine which priority services would provide the President with the necessary information to ensure the availability of communications services to necessary personnel during crisis events. The NSTAC initiated an examination regarding the availability of Internet Protocol (IP) services during times of network congestion.
  
  
• Emergency Communications Interoperability. A strategic plan for a survivable and interoperable nationwide NS/EP communications architecture is critical to ensure emergency responders at all levels can communicate during a disaster scenario. The NSTAC recently provided advice regarding the integration of a complete suite of communications technologies, including wireline, terrestrial wireless, broadcast, and satellite communications, into the Federal Government’s emergency communications capabilities. The NSTAC also addressed the communications interoperability challenges of emergency responders through an evaluation of ways in which IP-enabled capabilities and technologies might play a role in enhancing the interoperability of emergency communications.
  
  
• Access and Credentialing. Following the 2005 hurricane season, the NSTAC evaluated existing statutes defining the relationship between industry and Government in disaster situations. The NSTAC identified several barriers to public/private sector cooperation and examined mitigation strategies to restoring critical telecommunications infrastructure. This included recommending the establishment and codification of the term “Emergency Responder (Private Sector)” to incorporate telecommunications infrastructure providers into Federal response policies, and give them the proper credentialing to allow priority access into disaster sites. The NSTAC presently is working to ensure Federal officials address NSTAC’s access and credentialing concerns as they develop policy documents that govern national response efforts.

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