Policies

Sponsorship of Priority Telecommunications Access for Private Sector Entities through the National Communications System
Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) and Wireless Priority Service (WPS)

The National Communications System (NCS) was established in 1963 to provide priority communications support to critical government functions during emergencies. In 1984 the National Security and Emergency Preparedness (NS/EP) capabilities of NCS were broadened and an interagency group (currently twenty-two federal departments and agencies) was formed to help coordinate and plan NS/EP services. The NCS has developed a number of priority telecommunications services that are also available to private sector entities through sponsorship by an NCS member department or agency. The events of September 11, 2001 put a new focus on the importance of these programs to the nation and to the financial sector.

What will a GETS Programs card do for my organization?

The United States Banking and Finance Sector is the backbone for the world’s economy. Today, there is a wide range of potential threats facing the sector ranging from natural disasters, national emergencies, to a possible worldwide flu pandemic. Consequently, financial regulators and private sector owners and operators continuously collaborate to maintain a high degree of resilience in the face of a myriad of potential disasters, be they intentional or unintentional.

During times of emergency, the financial services sector needs to be assured that its calls will go through. The GETS card can be used in an emergency or crisis situation when the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is overloaded (congested) and the ability to complete a call by normal means is significantly decreased. When financial organizations use a GETS card, they will have the assurance that their calls will receive priority routing through the PSTN and will have a very high call completion rate.

What is GETS & WPS?

GETS is a nationwide priority telecommunications service intended for use in a crisis, disaster, or other emergency, when the probability of completing a phone call has significantly decreased. GETS is implemented as a calling card and provides access authorization and priority treatment in the PSTN through a unique dialing plan and personal identification number (PIN). A GETS call can be placed using a standard desk set, secure phone, facsimile, or cellular phone.

To provide guidance to financial organizations seeking sponsorship for NCS services, the Financial and Banking Information Infrastructure Committee ¹ (FBIIC) has developed policies on the sponsorship of priority telecommunications access for private sector entities through the NCS. The goal of the policies is twofold: first, to make financial organizations aware of NCS programs and, second, to provide a consistent set of guidance regarding qualification criteria and the appropriate process for interested organizations.

• As a first step, on July 22, 2002 the FBIIC established a policy and process to sponsor qualifying financial sector institutions for Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) . GETS is designed to help assure communication between key public and private sector personnel during times of crisis.



• On December 11, 2002, the FBIIC established a policy and process to sponsor qualifying financial sector organizations for the NCS Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) Program. The TSP Program was developed to ensure priority treatment for the Nation's most important telecommunications services.



• This revision of the July 22, 2002 GETS Policy incorporates the NCS Wireless Priority Services (WPS). Both GETS and WPS are designed to help assure communication between key public and private sector personnel during times of crisis

GETS program supports federal, state, and local government, industry, and non-profit organizations in performing their NS/EP missions by providing emergency access and priority processing for voice communications services in the local and long-distance segments of the Public Switched Network (PSN). WPS is the equivalent telecommunications service for wireless telephones. GETS and WPS are intended to be used in an emergency or crisis situation when heavy usage of the PSN and cellular network by organizations and the public decreases the probability of completing a call. Private sector organizations that need to participate in the GETS and WPS programs must be sponsored by an NCS member. More information about the GETS and WPS programs, including Frequently Asked Questions, is available on the NCS web http://www.ncs.gov/ under Services.

Sponsorship Eligibility:

There are five broad categories that serve as guidelines for determining who may qualify as a GETS user: (1) National Security Leadership; (2) National Security Posture and U.S. Population Attack Warning; (3) Public Health, Safety, and Maintenance of Law and Order; (4) Public Welfare and Maintenance of National Economic Posture; and (5) Disaster Recovery. The FBIIC agencies have determined that to qualify for GETS sponsorship, organizations must support the performance of NS/EP functions necessary to maintain the national economic posture during any national or regional emergency. In particular, the FBIIC agencies view maintenance of the national or regional economic posture as the minimization of systemic disruption to the financial system directly related to the operation of critical financial markets and related essential services and systems.

Essential services and systems are those that have no easily accessible substitute and that are necessary to support one of three critical NS/EP functions in key financial markets and payment mechanisms: (1) necessary crisis response and coordination activities in your region or community; (2) resumption and maintenance of economic activity in your region or community; and (3) the orderly completion of outstanding financial transactions and necessary offsetting transactions that must be completed to avoid a major impact to the regional economic stability. Essential services and systems include: critical funds transfers systems (wholesale/large-value payment systems); securities and derivatives clearing and settlement systems; supporting communication systems and service providers; and key financial market trading systems and exchanges.

Private sector financial organizations and their service providers may qualify for GETS sponsorship if they play a significant role in one or more financial markets or essential services or systems. In determining whether an individual organization plays a significant role at the regional or national level, the appropriate FBIIC member agency may consider whether the organization: (1) is a registered securities or futures exchange, self-regulatory organization, registered securities clearing agency/depository and futures clearinghouse, and their critical service providers and utilities; (2) acts as market utility for effecting payments or clearance and settlement of transactions; (3) processes a large aggregate value of daily payments; (4) provides critical services or systems to financial institutions; (5) has a national or large regional presence in one or more product lines; or (6) demonstrates other facts or circumstances that suggest facilitating the organization's access to the GETS priority service in times of national emergency would serve to maintain the national economic posture.

Organizations seeking GETS sponsorship should complete the attached FBIIC Request for GETS Sponsorship and submit it to their primary financial regulator. Requesting organizations must support their request for sponsorship under the general NS/EP criteria stated above. Qualifying organizations may be considered for the WPS program only after they have received GETS sponsorship.

The FBIIC agencies may contact those organizations that clearly qualify under these criteria and inform them of the availability of GETS Sponsorship. ²

Individuals being nominated for GETS usage should be limited to those individuals who play critical roles in the organization's business continuity or crisis response management structure.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• How long will it take for a financial organization to receive their GETS card once a regulator has decided to allow them to participate in the program?
  • We anticipate that organizations will receive their GETS card(s) within ten business days.
• Does the GETS card have an expiration date?
  • No.
• Who sponsors my financial institution for a GETS card?
  • Only your primary Federal regulator or association of State regulators can approve your GETS application.

¹ The Financial and Banking Information Infrastructure Committee (FBIIC) is chartered under the President's Working Group on Financial Markets, and is charged with improving coordination and communication among financial regulators, enhancing the resiliency of the financial sector, and promoting the public/private partnership. Treasury's Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions chairs the committee. Members of the FBIIC include representatives of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, the Farm Credit Administration, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Housing Finance Board, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Federal Reserve Board, the Homeland Security Council, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the National Credit Union Administration, the North American Securities Administrators Association, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, the Office of Thrift Supervision, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation.

² In its role as a payments system operator, the Federal Reserve has traditionally sponsored significant participants in the payments system for NCS services. The Federal Reserve therefore intends to contact those organizations that clearly qualify under the criteria and ask them to provide the names of individuals who should receive GETS cards. The Federal Reserve will notify the other FBIIC agencies of institutions they have contacted.