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Home President's
NSTAC
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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