The Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Huricane Katrina and other man-made and natural disasters often reveal flaws in emergency communications systems. Here we attempt to chart the effects of disasters on our telecommunications and media communications systems -- and efforts by policymakers to stregthen these systems.
Emergency Communications
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FCC Proposes to Strengthen Security of Emergency Alert Systems
The Federal Communications Commission proposed rules to bolster the operational readiness and security of the nation’s public alert and warning systems, the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts. These systems warn the public about emergencies through alerts on their televisions, radios, and wireless phones. In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking adopted, the FCC proposes to:
Global internet gaps prompt calls for a US plan
Pressure is growing for the US to develop a plan to quickly build internet lifelines for people living in conflict zones or under repressive regimes. The absence of a broadband strategy has led to a reliance on the ad hoc goodwill of private companies, such as Elon Musk's donation of Starlink satellite to provide internet service in Ukraine. Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr said that the US needs both the ability to quickly deploy internet networks and surge the production of censorship-circumvention online tools in authoritarian countries. Rep.
No Internet, Now What? A New York Village Plans for the Worst
The Village of Lynbrook (NY) is planning for the possibility of a major Internet outage — the kind that could last six months. The village's Internet Outage Continuity Plan has distributed copies to all of its municipal departments. The document is intended to supplement other disaster recovery and business continuity plans. It maps out every function conducted by local government, identifies those involving the Internet, and lists alternative, offline methods of getting the job done.
How cellular carriers prepared for and responded to Hurricane Ian
Hurricane Ian took out its fair share of towers in Florida; according to the Federal Communications Commission, nearly a fifth of the cellular sites in its path was put out of service at one point. Many citizens were unable to call for help or to reassure their loved ones that they’d survived the storm. While the need for wired and cellular infrastructure won’t be going away anytime soon, we’re heading toward a future where it’ll be possible to communicate with loved ones and rescue personnel in other ways.
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FCC Provides Tentative Agenda for October Open Meeting
Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced that the items below are tentatively on the agenda for the October Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, October 27, 2022. The Commission will consider:
Verizon’s THOR tackles areas hardest hit by Hurricane Ian
Verizon is pulling out all the stops to help first responders in the wake of Hurricane Ian, and that includes THOR, the Tactical Humanitarian Operations Response vehicle that acts like a giant Swiss army knife. THOR boasts its own private 5G network and acts as a kind of mobile command center to deliver Verizon Frontline solutions, according to Cory Davis, assistant vice president for Verizon Frontline.
Broadband restoration efforts in Florida hindered by power outages, flooding
Wireline operators are battling to bring residents in Florida back online as quickly as possible in the wake of Hurricane Ian, but conditions on the ground are making it hard to get to all the sites in need of repair. According to Federal Communications Commission data, the storm knocked out wireline service for nearly 526,000 people after it made landfall on September 28.
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FCC Improves Emergency Alert System Messages
The Federal Communications Commission updated its Emergency Alert System rules so that alerts delivered over television and radio are more informative and easier to understand by the public, particularly people with disabilities. The Emergency Alert System, which is used by government agencies to send alerts and warnings to the public over television and radio, is comprised of both a legacy system and an Internet-based system, with the latter offering superior messaging capabilities.
FirstNet Authority’s Broadband Integration Guide, Collaboration with Indian Gaming Association
The First Responder Network Authority has made it a priority to bring broadband to all first responders — local, state, federal and tribal — in rural and urban areas.
T-Mobile boosts its first-responder service, but why?
Even though AT&T is running the table on the first-responder market in the US because it won the contract to build the FirstNet network, that doesn’t mean that the other two big carriers don’t still desire to serve first responders.