[FARC] interesting

[Eric Gammeter]

(from ARRL newsletter)
==>NEW LAW FORMALLY MAKES AMATEUR RADIO PART OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
COMMUNITY

A section of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 2007 Appropriations
Act, HR 5441 <http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.05441:>,
formally includes Amateur Radio operators as a part of the emergency
communications community. Congress approved the measure before adjourning
for its pre-election break. President George W. Bush signed the bill into
law October 4.

Amateur Radio is included within the legislation's Subtitle D, Section 671,
known as the "21st Century Emergency Communications Act." Radio amateurs are
among the entities with which a Regional Emergency Communications
Coordination Working Group (RECC Working Group) must coordinate its
activities. Included within the DHS's Office of Emergency Communications --
which the measure also creates -- RECC Working Groups attached to each
regional DHS office will advise federal and state homeland security
officials. The final version of the legislation incorporated language from
both House and Senate bills and was hammered out in a conference committee.
An earlier version of the 21st Century Emergency Communications Act, HR
5852, included Amateur Radio operators as members of the RECC Working
Groups.

In addition to Amateur Radio operators, RECC Working Groups also will
coordinate with communications equipment manufacturers and vendors --
including broadband data service providers, local exchange carriers, local
broadcast media, wireless carriers, satellite communications services, cable
operators, hospitals, public utility services, emergency evacuation transit
services, ambulance services, and representatives from other private sector
entities and nongovernmental organizations.

The RECC Working Groups will assess the survivability, sustainability and
interoperability of local emergency communication systems to meet the goals
of the National Emergency Communications Report. That report would recommend
how the US could "accelerate the deployment of interoperable emergency
communications nationwide." They also will coordinate the establishment of
"effective multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency emergency communications
networks" that could be brought into play in an emergency or disaster.

In light of the new legislation, the ARRL plans to follow up to determine
how it can interact with the DHS and its Office of Emergency Communications.