[2m] Fw: [RACES] FCC Seeks Comments on Katrina Panel

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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Radioguy" <radioguy at tampabay.rr.com>
To: <RACES at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2006 8:51 AM
Subject: [RACES] FCC Seeks Comments on Katrina Panel


>
>
> FCC Seeks Comments on Katrina Panel Recommendations
>
> NEWINGTON, CT, Jun 20, 2006--The FCC will invite public comments in
> response to recommendations presented this month by the Independent
> Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Communications
> Networks. A Notice of Proposed Rule Making
> (<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-06-83A1.pdf>NPRM)
> in EB Docket 06-119, released this week, contains wide-ranging
> proposals and considerations that could involve FCC rule or
> administrative changes, a few of which deal with the Amateur Service.
>
> "The devastation of Hurricane Katrina highlighted the importance of
> telecommunications and media to our daily lives, and our dependency
> on our national communications infrastructure," remarked FCC Chairman
> Kevin J. Martin in a statement attached to the NPRM. "With this
> Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, we are asking for comments and
> suggestions from the public on how to best address and implement the
> Independent Panel's recommendations."
>
> Ham Radio Part of the Solution, Panel Told
>
> ARRL Alabama Section Manager Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, addressed the
> Independent Panel on March 7 to note that Amateur Radio volunteers
> "were part of the solution, providing experienced communications
> operators to replace and supplement local public service
> communications personnel in the devastated area." For 37 days
> following Hurricane Katrina, Sarratt -- working at an American Red
> Cross disaster relief staging area in Montgomery, Alabama -- headed
> the volunteer effort to process Amateur Radio volunteers headed to
> the Gulf Coast to assist recovery operations.
>
> Sarratt told the FCC panel that his operation ultimately was able to
> process and deploy more than 200 Amateur Radio volunteers from 35
> states and Canada to devastated communities in Mississippi. In his
> remarks, Sarratt cited interoperability as the most important thing
> Amateur Radio can bring to the table in emergency and disaster 
> communications.
>
> "Amateurs demonstrated their adaptability by communicating
> successfully with a multitude of amateur, commercial, public service,
> EMA, Salvation Army and Red Cross radio systems and personnel," he said.
>
> Among other things, Sarratt recommended installing permanent Amateur
> Radio stations in federal, state and local emergency operations
> centers as well as at selected public service, Red Cross chapters and
> other served agencies. He further suggested that the Commission and the 
> ARRL:
>    * collaborate to issue FCC credentials to the ARRL for Amateur
> Radio responders.
>    * be key partners in an Amateur Radio awareness program for
> multiple government agencies and the first-responder community.
>    * continue working together on critical frequency spectrum
> protection and interference-avoidance issues.
>
> Earlier this year, ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, named Sarratt
> to serve on the ARRL National Emergency Response Planning Committee.
>
> Panel Report Praises Ham Radio Volunteers
>
> The Independent Panel's report points out that Amateur Radio stations
> were among those segments of the communications infrastructure
> adversely affected by Hurricane Katrina. It also praised the efforts
> of radio amateurs.
>
> "Equipment was damaged or lost due to the storm, and trained amateurs
> were difficult to find in the immediate aftermath," the report said.
> "However, once called into help, Amateur Radio operators volunteered
> to support many agencies, such as FEMA, the National Weather Service,
> Hurricane Watch [Net] and the American Red Cross."
>
> The Independent Panel pointed out that Amateur Radio volunteers
> provided communication in many locations where no other means of
> communicating existed. Hams also provided other technical aid to
> communities affected by Hurricane Katrina, the panel's report said.
> <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/06/20/5/Katrina-SATERN-Ed-lrg.jpg>
> Salvation Army Team Emergency Network
> (<http://www.satern.org/>SATERN) Volunteer Ed Manly, W4AGA, set up an
> emergency communication post outside Yankie Stadium in Biloxi,
> Mississippi, following Hurricane Katrina.
>
> Proactive Pre-Positioning
>
> Chaired by former NTIA Administrator Nancy Victory, the Independent
> Panel's recommendations note that the sheer force of Hurricane
> Katrina and the extensive flooding "severely tested the reliability
> and resiliency of communications networks in the Gulf Coast region."
> The panel recommended adopting "a proactive (rather than reactive)
> program for network reliability and resiliency."
>
> In its NPRM, the FCC asked if should explore amending its rules to
> permit automatic grants of certain types of waivers or special
> temporary authority (STA) in declared disaster areas. "As a condition
> of the waiver or STA, the FCC could require verbal or written
> notification to the Commission staff contemporaneously with
> activation or promptly after the fact," the NPRM suggested. Following
> last year's devastating hurricanes, the FCC issued a handful of STAs
> to permit licensees lacking HF privileges to operate on HF for
> emergency purposes. The NPRM offered these specific areas for 
> consideration.
>    * Waiver of Amateur Radio and license-exempt rules, permitting
> transmissions necessary to meet essential communications needs.
>    * Waiver of application filing deadlines, something the FCC did
> last fall for amateurs who lived in hurricane-stricken states.
>    * Streamlined STA process, so parties in the affected area may
> simply notify the FCC in writing or verbally of a need to operate in
> order to restore service.
>
> Lessons Learned
>
> "The Independent Panel's report described the impact of the worst
> natural disaster in the nation's history, as well as the overall
> public and private response and recovery efforts," the FCC said in
> its NPRM. "Our goal in this proceeding is to take the lessons learned
> from this disaster and build upon them to promote more effective,
> efficient response and recovery efforts, as well as heightened
> readiness and preparedness, in the future."
>
> The Commission also said it wants to hear comments on "other steps
> beyond those recommended by the panel that we could take within our
> statutory authority and jurisdiction to improve or strengthen network
> resiliency and reliability."
>
> Comments will be due 30 days from the date the NPRM is published in
> the Federal Register and may be filed via the FCC's Electronic
> Comment Filing System (<http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/>ECFS).
>
> (ARRL Web)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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