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
Rep Collins Introduces Legislation to Address 9-1-1 Fee Diversion
Rep Chris Collins (R-NY) introduced legislation that prevents states from diverting fees collected from consumers on their phone bills, which are meant to be used to improve 9-1-1 emergency communications systems. The Federal Communications Commission has found that New York diverts at least 41 percent of 9-1-1 fees that are collected for other non-public safety related purposes. Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Rep Leonard Lance (D-NJ), co-authored the bill and have also seen 9-1-1 fee diversion in their home states.
President Trump blasted reporting from Puerto Rico as ‘fake news.’ Heeding it might have saved lives.
[Commentary] When Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico last fall, President Donald Trump playfully lobbed rolls of paper towels to those taking shelter. What if the reporting on the ground had been taken seriously — as something to be heeded, and reacted to, instead of summarily dismissed? What if the president had pushed for help from wherever it could be found, including from outside the overstressed federal agency?
FCC Adopts Procedures for Emergency Alert System Tests
In a Report and Order, the Federal Communications Commission set forth procedures for authorized state and local officials to conduct “live code” tests of the Emergency Alert System, which use the same alert codes and processes as would be used in actual emergencies. These tests can increase the proficiency of local alerting officials while educating the public about how to respond to actual alerts. The procedures require appropriate coordination, planning, and disclaimers to accompany any such test.
NTIA Files Petition to Update Wireless Priority Service Program
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration filed a Petition for Rulemaking with the Federal Communications Commission to update the rules governing Wireless Priority Service (WPS), a program that enables wireless emergency calls to get through if networks are congested. The petition is designed to update rules governing WPS, which were developed in the late 1990s and have not been updated since the program began following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
FCC Commissioner O'Rielly Letter to Assistant US Attorney for Guam on 911 Fee Diversion
On July 6, 2018, Federal Communications Commissioner Michael O'Rielly wrote to Mikel Schwab, Civil Chief, Assitant US Attorney for the Department of Justice in the Districts of Guam & the NMI, regarding 911 Fee Diversion.
The Policy Forum at AT&T is hosting an in-person, in-depth discussion on FirstNet and the efforts currently underway to build, deploy, and operate the first-ever nationwide public safety broadband network. Chris Sambar, Senior Vice President, AT&T, FirstNet Program will provide the keynote address.
FCC Agenda for July 2018 Open Meeting
[Press release] The Federal Communications Commission will hold an Open Meeting on the subject listed below on Thursday, July 12, 2018:
FCC Settles Investigation into Two AT&T Mobility 911 Outages in 2017
The Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau settled an investigation into AT&T Mobility’s 911 outages of March and May 2017.
Senator Wyden to FCC: How much do police stingrays drain a cellphone battery?
In a new letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, Sen Ron Wyden (D-OR) submitted a slew of new questions concerning how the controversial stingray devices interact with the 911 emergency system. His inquiries come on the heels of efforts in May to scrutinize what the Department of Justice knows about the secretive use of these devices. In addition, Sen Wyden got a new amendment into an appropriations bill that was approved by the Senate on June 25.