Commissioner Pai's Statement on the Derecho Report
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
January 10, 2013Matthew
Berry,
202-418-2005
Email:
Matthew.Berry@fcc.gov
STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER AJIT PAI ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY AND
HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU’S DERECHO REPORT
When Americans dial 9-1-1, they must be able to reach first responders without delay ordifficulty whether that call is placed because of a derecho, a tornado, an earthquake, a flood, a
hurricane, or a personal emergency. I therefore look forward to studying the recommendations
contained in the report released today by the staff of the Public Safety and Homeland Security
Bureau and thank them for their hard work. I also am eager to receive and to review the input of
all affected stakeholders. Those of us in the public sector must work together with those in the
private sector to prevent future disruptions to 9-1-1 communications.
In that vein, today’s report notes that had Next Generation 9-1-1 “architectures and
capabilities been in place in the [areas affected by the derecho], they likely could have
significantly lessened the derecho’s impact on emergency communications.” NG 9-1-1 will
improve the safety of the American people, and it is a critical component of the all-IP world just
over the horizon. That is one more reason why I look forward to working with my colleagues
and the public safety community to facilitate a successful IP transition—beginning with our
recommendations to Congress, due next month, on the appropriate legal framework for NG 9-1-1
services.1
1 See Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, § 6509
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