FCC Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks

The Federal Communications Commission’s Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 at 9:00 a.m. in the Commission Meeting Room, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, SW, Room TW-C305, Washington, DC.

The Panel will hear presentations from its three informal working groups (IWG-1 Infrastructure Resiliency, IWG-2 Recovery Coordination and Procedures and IWG-3 Emergency Communications) regarding their work to date. The informal working groups’ presentations will form the framework for discussion of the specific issues, findings and recommendations to be addressed in the Panel’s report to the FCC which must be submitted by June 15, 2006. The report will address the impact of Hurricane Katrina on communications infrastructure, including public safety communications, and recommendations for improving disaster preparedness, network reliability and communications among first responders. The Panel may take action on any of the issues raised during the meeting. The Panel may also hear presentations and/or demonstrations from invited representatives of government agencies and/or other entities that address emergency response and disaster preparedness issues.
Members of the general public may attend the meeting.

Real Audio access to the meeting will be available at www.fcc.gov. Open captioning will be provided for this event.

The public may submit written comments before the meeting to: Lisa M. Fowlkes, the Commission’s Designated Federal Officer for the Independent Panel, at lisa.fowlkes@fcc.gov or by U.S. Postal Mail (Lisa M. Fowlkes, Designated Federal Officer, Hurricane Katrina Independent Panel, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, SW, Room 7-C737, Washington DC 20554).
Further information regarding the Independent Panel, including publicly available documents, may be found on the Panel’s website at www.fcc.gov/eb/hkip.