> **DA 07-3871**

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**: **NEWS MEDIA CONTACT**:

September 11, 2007 Robert Kenny: (202) 418-2668

Email: <robert.kenny@fcc.gov>

**THE FCC's PUBLIC SAFETY & HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU LAUNCHES**

**DISASTER INFORMATION REPORTING SYSTEM (DIRS)**

Washington, DC -- The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB)
of the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) today launched a
newly designed and automated Disaster Information Reporting System
(DIRS). DIRS is a voluntary, efficient, web-based system that
communications companies, including wireless, wireline, broadcast, and
cable providers, can use to report communications infrastructure status
and situational awareness information during times of crisis. This will
better streamline the reporting process and enable communications
providers to share network status information with the Commission
quickly and efficiently.

The creation and implementation of this new system builds on the
Commission's longstanding commitment to promoting the safety of life and
property through the use of wire and radio communication, as required by
the Communications Act of 1934, as amended,[^1] and complements the
efforts of the Department of Homeland Security's National Communications
System (NCS) in support of NCS's role as the primary agency for
Emergency Support Function-2 (ESF-2) (Communications) of the National
Response Plan. We also note that establishment of this database
addresses many of the recommendations submitted by the Independent Panel
Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks
regarding the collection of disaster-related outage and other
situational awareness information.[^2]

DIRS includes data templates for different communications sectors
(*i.e*. wireless, wireline, broadcast, and cable). Participating
communications providers will initially log onto the system to input
their emergency contact information. Once this is done, participating
communications providers that serve areas affected by disasters will be
able to voluntarily submit information regarding, *inter alia*, the
status of their communications equipment, restoration efforts, power
(*i.e*., whether they are using commercial power, generator or battery),
and access to fuel.

-more-

Because the information that communications companies input to DIRS is
sensitive, for national security and/or commercial reasons, DIRS filings
shall be treated as presumptively confidential upon filing. DIRS filings
voluntarily report weaknesses in and damage to the national
communications infrastructure. The release of this sensitive information
to the public could potentially facilitate terrorist targeting of
critical infrastructure and key resources. Further, the DIRS filings
contain internal confidential information that constitutes trade secrets
and commercial or financial information. Public availability of these
reports, which contain information the filers themselves do not
routinely make public, could competitively harm the filers by revealing
information about the types and deployment of their equipment and the
traffic that flows across their networks. DIRS filings will, however, be
shared with the NCS on a confidential basis.

On July 21, 2007, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved the
DIRS information collection under OMB Control Number 3060-1003. This OMB
approval expires on July 31, 2010. As the Commission noted in its OMB
submission, DIRS is a voluntary program, separate from the mandatory
reporting requirements that apply to certain communications providers
under Part 4 of the Commission's rules, 47 C.F.R. Part 4.

The Commission requests that communications providers (wireline
carriers, wireless carriers, broadcasters, and cable system operators)
that choose to participate in DIRS provide contact information for any
and all individuals in each company who would be providing information
on the status of communications equipment in the event of a disaster.
Contact information includes contact name, company name, phone number,
cell phone number, Blackberry/pager number, and e-mail address. This
information will be secured by the Commission and protected from public
release. Communications providers can accomplish this by accessing DIRS
at https://www.fcc.gov/nors/disaster/ and obtaining a User ID. Such
providers can also access DIRS under e-filing on the Commission's main
webpage or on the PSHSB webpage.

When this disaster data collection system is activated in response to a
crisis, all contacts in DIRS will be sent an e-mail letting them know
the disaster area and the communications providers that are requested to
provide data on the status of their communications equipment.[^3]

For further information, please contact Jeffery Goldthorp of the PSHSB's
Communications Systems Analysis Division at (202) 418-1096 or
<Jeffery.Goldthorp@fcc.gov>.

\- FCC -

[^1]: 47 U.S.C. §§ 151 *et seq.*

[^2]: *Recommendations of the Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of
    Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks*, Order, EB Docket No.
    06-119, WC Docket No. 06-63, 22 FCC Rcd 10541 (2007).

[^3]: This e-mail notification will be in addition to other efforts to
    reach out to communications service providers to encourage them to
    submit situational awareness information into the DIRS.