[FLham] FCC Wants Help

[Radioguy]

FCC COORDINATING TECH AID FOR KATRINA DISASTER

Quick notes from conference call hosted by the FCC today about urgently 
coordinating resources and personnel from internet/wireless service 
providers to get communications networks up and running in in gulf states.
Lack of communications systems has been identified as a critical issue 
holding back aid, missing persons, law enforcement, etc. in crisis areas.

FCC personnel are working throughout the weekend to coordinate these 
efforts with private industry, with wireless technology groups, FEMA, and 
state governments in Mississippi, Louisiana, etc.

One of the challenges they face in this effort is fact that the 
coordination effort involves multiple layers of bureaucracies -- also, that 
there has been no central point for directing available assets offered by 
private industry. Participants on the call included folks from Cisco, 
Intel, and wireless organizations.

Another challenge: working with FEMA and local governments to ascertain 
whether it is more immediately effective to get old systems up and running, 
or create new temporary ones. Depends on tech behind communications system 
in question.

COMPANIES WITH TECH ASSETS AND/OR HUMAN RESOURCES TO DONATE FOR 
COMMUNICATIONS AID IN KATRINA-IMPACTED AREAS SHOULD DO THE FOLLOWING

FCC Chief of Staff Dan Gonzales (dan dot gonzales at fcc dot org) says

FCC needs the following information from would be tech donors BY NOON 
EASTERN ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 3.

1) identify the provider (name of your company or group)
2) identify assets you are willing to commit
3) state clearly what assets you are technologically capable of providing 
(IP? data? voice?)
4) what your logistical requirements are to bring that to the affected area.
5) can you bring generators? if so what size? capacity? power levels?

SUBMIT THIS INFORMATION TO

PART-15.ORG (they have an online submission form to collect this data)
or wireless at part-15.org

contacts: Michael Anderson (wireless at part-15.org) 630-466-9090, and Claudia 
Crowley (ccrowley at gmail dot com), 817-292-0230.


Snip from part-15.org website:

The FCC and FEMA is in a desperate need to reestablish communications in 
the disaster area. More specifically, the metropolitan area of New Orleans 
and it's surrounding areas. What can Wireless access internet service 
providers do to help? We can reestablish internal communications and 
provide connectivity to all disaster relief efforts by installing point to 
point, point to multipoint links, IP Web cams to assist the police and fire 
departments who can not be everywhere in such a large area, VoIP phones to 
provide voice communications to relief personnel in remote areas and many 
other types of normal everyday communications that most people take for 
granted.
To accomplish these goals, we will need not only the License Exempt 
Industry as a whole, but local communities, major companies, and all others 
that can provide even the slightest of assistance to our teams.

Link
* FCC reps on the conference call also said they may relax some regulations 
(power restrictions, etc) but are concerned that the effort be coordinated 
centrally, carefully, so that various emergency communications "efforts 
don't end up stepping on each other" and causing more of a tech mess.

* Quote from call participant Jim Duncan, Cisco Critical Infrastructure 
Insurance group: "Operational issue number one is fuel and energy. Convoy 
accident happened today with fuel truck heading into one area... getting 
fuel and power in is critical, nothing can happen in terms of 
communications without that. Communications priorities will include law 
enforcement issues, but also missing persons -- getting refugees access to 
webpages to unite missing families... "

* Some call participants also noted that any volunteers who end up being 
assigned in the affected area should bring sleeping bags, water, food so as 
not to strain resources. Hotel rooms, cars are hard to come by. Tech 
experts who end up coming to the area (by way of coordinated aid efforts) 
should be prepared to camp out.