For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today that AT&T Inc. has become the first private sector company to be certified to DHS-selected standards under the Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Program. PS-Prep™ is a partnership between DHS and the private sector - enabling private entities to receive emergency preparedness certification.

"Private organizations across the country play a vital role in bolstering our disaster preparedness and response capabilities," said Secretary Napolitano. "I commend AT&T for achieving PS-Prep™ certification, and encourage other private sector partners to work with the PS-Prep™ program to further enhance the readiness and resiliency of our Nation."

AT&T's certification is the first under the PS-Prep™ program, administered by DHS' Federal Emergency Management Agency. The PS-Prep™ program enables private sector organizations to enhance their capabilities for planning, responding to, and recovering from natural disasters and other threats.

The engagement of the private sector in disaster preparedness is a critical component of a secure and resilient Nation under the National Preparedness Goal.

“AT&T has a long-standing commitment to business continuity and disaster preparedness," said John Stankey, Chief Strategy Officer for AT&T. "The strength of our continuity program coupled with our industry-leading Global Network Operations Center helps us and our customers effectively continue operations during and after emergencies."

The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) is a PS-Prep™ program Accrediting Body. In that role, ANAB has accredited National Quality Assurance (NQA) USA as a PS-Prep™ Certification Body. NQA USA performed the certification audit of the AT&T Business Continuity Management System and declared the system as PS-Prep certified.

DHS plans to expand the list of early participating entities in the PS-Prep™ program in the coming year.

For more information on PS-Prep™, visit http://www.fema.gov/privatesector/preparedness.

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