# Presentation: 922924

**NENA 2003**
**Annual Conference**
**June 18, 2003**
**Kenneth Moran**
**Director, Defense and Security**
**Federal Communications Commission**
**kmoran@fcc.gov**

**Telecommunications Service Priority**

- NENA 2003 Annual Conference   June 18, 2003

**Notes:**
Thank you for providing time to discuss this important matter.

Homeland security issues are front and center in Washington.

I am here to talk about an emergency telecom program that helps promote homeland security.

But I’m really here to explain the program and ask for your help to get the word out Outside the Beltway.

## OBJECTIVE

**OBJECTIVE**

-   To ensure priority restoration
-   of communications services
-  most critical to the safety and security of American citizens

- NENA 2003 Annual Conference   June 18, 2003

**Notes:**
The telecommunications service priority... or TSP... program was developed to ensure that telecommunications services that are critical to the nation’s security and emergency preparedness missions are given priority over other, less critical services. 
This program has been in place since 1988.  Its success has largely been the result of a joint effort of the NCS and the Commission.  The NCS provides the day-to-day administration of the program and the Commission provides oversight, enforcement, and handles appeals.
With the events of last September, the importance of the program has become clearer, as has the need for greater participation, especially by state and local government agencies and private providers of essential services.

## Guaranteed Priority Restoration

**Protection during disasters: floods, forest fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and terrorist attacks**
**Provides guaranteed priority restoration of telecom services when service providers’ resources are overextended**

- NENA 2003 Annual Conference   June 18, 2003

**Notes:**
The TSP Program has operated effectively in response to numerous disasters, including Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the Seattle earthquake in 2001, as well as incidents of terrorism such as Oklahoma City and, of course, the events of last September.
Following disasters, when demands on the telecom carriers are at their highest, the TSP Program provides essential guidance for the carriers who must quickly install and restore emergency telecom services, services that are critical to the protection of life, property, and the nation’s security.
Without TSP, essential telecom users can experience unacceptable lengthy delays.  For example, in the months after the terrorist attacks in New York, TSP services were restored 2-3 months sooner than some non-TSP services.

The TSP program faced its biggest challenge this past September.
In New York there was an enormous amount of physical damage on the telecommunications networks.  The carriers did a truly incredible job in restoring and installing services most critical to security and emergency needs as quickly as was physically possible. The TSP Program operated just as it was designed... enabling the carriers to focus their attention and limited resources on restoring and installing the most critical telecommunications services-- thereby minimizing what could have been disastrous delays.
Among the most significant feats was the restoration of sufficient telecom services to enable the New York Stock Exchange to open in a mere six days.  Clearly, the guidance provided by the TSP Program was instrumental in the timely and effective recovery of New York City’s telecom services.

## About the Program

- How it works
- Who qualifies
- Sponsors
- Priority levels
- User Responsibilities
- Cost

- NENA 2003 Annual Conference   June 18, 2003

**Notes:**
Through the next few slides I will briefly describe the workings of the program.  

## How it works

- User Driven
- User identifies essential services
- User requests FCC sponsorship
- User enrolls through NCS
- User requests service from carrier
- When outage occurs, service
-    provider must restore TSP lines first

- NENA 2003 Annual Conference   June 18, 2003

**Notes:**
There are two major components of the TSP program...restoration and provisioning.
Under the restoration program, during times of relative calm, services which require priority treatment are identified.  Then, when disasters occur, these services are restored first.
This process is user driven.  The user first identifies which services require priority treatment.  The user then contacts a sponsor and initiates a priority designation request to the NCS.  NCS makes a determination. The user then notifies the carrier.  The carrier adds the service to its operational databases.  Then, when an outage occurs these services are restored first.

## Who qualifies

- Any entity engaged in activities essential for the security and safety of American citizens that relies on telecommunications services.
- Federal, state, or local government or private industry

- NENA 2003 Annual Conference   June 18, 2003

**Notes:**
Any government ---federal, state, or local--- or private industry organization that relies on telecommunications services to provide essential national security or emergency preparedness functions.
Examples are: governors’ office, emergency service providers such as the police, fire, ambulance; health care providers such as hospitals; providers of essential services such as power, water, transport services, food services, financial services, and defense contractors.

## Federal Sponsor

- Non-federal organizations require federal sponsor
- FCC will sponsor any qualifying 9-1-1 request
- User must request

- NENA 2003 Annual Conference   June 18, 2003

**Notes:**
Any questions regarding the sponsor process can be addressed to the NCS.  I will provide names and phone numbers at the end of the presentation. 

## Priority Level

- National security leadership
- Security posture and attack warning
- Public health, safety, law and order
- Public welfare/economic posture

- NENA 2003 Annual Conference   June 18, 2003

## User Responsibilities

- Identify services requiring priority
- Request and justify priority
- Ensure access to premises, equipment
- Report failed services
- Designate 24 hour point of contact

- NENA 2003 Annual Conference   June 18, 2003

## Cost

- Service providers charge for TSP
- TSP charges vary by carrier and location
- Cost structure
- Per line
- One time charge
- Monthly charge

- NENA 2003 Annual Conference   June 18, 2003

**Notes:**
Carriers incur substantial costs in establishing internal operational processes to ensure that new emergency services are installed as needed around the clock; and that outages of TSP services are immediately identified and given the highest priority for restoration.

TSP charges vary by carrier and by geographic location.

Typically it costs a few hundred dollars to initiate TSP service and a few dollars a month to participate in the restoration program.  The monthly recurring charges are often as little as charges for vertical services such as call waiting or voice messaging.

## 9-1-1 Participation

- Less than 10% of PSAPs (500 of 7,500) have TSP coverage
- Coverage mostly in few concentrated areas
- Most areas have no coverage

- NENA 2003 Annual Conference   June 18, 2003

**Notes:**
As this chart shows, clearly there are participation problems at both the state and local government level.

## 9-1-1 Participation Vital

- Threat to nation and critical telecom infrastructure still exists
- 9-1-1 centers are on the front lines during any disaster
- Operation of 9-1-1 centers is vital to all citizens
- TSP is only guarantee that 9-1-1 centers will go to front of the line

- NENA 2003 Annual Conference   June 18, 2003

**Notes:**
Participation by both the state and local governments and by private industry must be improved.

As last September’s events made crystal clear, there is a continuing threat to our critical infrastructure... and to our lives and property.
State and local governments and private industry play key and essential roles in any effective emergency response program.  As you well know, these organizations are on the front lines of any disaster.  In order for these emergency response and disaster relief efforts to operate effectively, their critical communications needs must be met.  Unfortunately, participation by all three groups is often spotty.

There are a relatively small number of state government TSP lines; by state they range from 0 to a few hundred; 39 states have no state government TSP lines at all.

Also, there are a relatively small number of local government TSP lines; by state, local government TSP lines also range from 0 to a few hundred; in 34 states, there are no local government TSP lines at all; one area of particular concern is that very few public safety answering points or public safety answering points... or PSAPs... have any TSP-designated lines.  This is very troubling.  Unfettered 9-1-1 access is essential in any major emergency. 

Although there are many more TSP designated lines for business than state or local government, there is spotty participation there, too.  For instance, only a dozen electric power companies have TSP lines; only 25 health care providers participate; only one rail carrier; no water companies participate.

The TSP program has been an effective tool in ensuring essential telecom services are available during emergencies.  In order for it to be effective, however, all of the key players must participate.  Lack of participation by essential parties can make it very difficult to restore essential communications when disasters strike.  Dealing with the unplanned...but essential...requirements of non-participants can cause uncertainty and delay in determining how to deploy the carriers’ critical maintenance and installation resources.  Such delays can be disastrous...at a time when life, property, and security are most at risk....and when effective restoration is most imperative.

## Outreach

- Increase awareness of the program
- Encourage examination of emergency telecom needs of communities
- Encourage cost benefit analysis
- Can a community afford not to participate?

- NENA 2003 Annual Conference   June 18, 2003

**Notes:**
So, what would we like you to do?
Help us get the word out.
We need all state and local governments and private industry providers of essential products and services to be made aware of the program.
We need them to examine their telecommunications services and assess how important these services are to their own security and how vital it is to have effective communications during disasters and other emergencies.
And, of course, they need to consider the cost of participating.

If they do this, I am confident that many will choose to participate to a much greater extent...and we will all be more secure.  

## For more information or to enroll contact NCS or the FCC

**National Communications System**
**Internet****	****	**_[http://](http://tsp.ncs.gov/)__[tsp.ncs.gov](http://tsp.ncs.gov/)_
**E-Mail****	****	**_[tsp@ncs.gov](mailto:tsp@ncs.gov)_
**Phone  703-607-4933 ( Deborah Bea )**
- Federal Communications Commission
**Internet http://www.fcc.gov/hspc/emergencytelecom.html**
**E-Mail****	****	**_[tspinfo@fcc.gov](mailto:tspinfo@fcc.gov)_
**Phone  202-418-0802 ( Kenneth Moran )**

- NENA 2003 Annual Conference   June 18, 2003

**Notes:**
You can learn about the program and even sign up via the internet.

The NCS TSP web-page is an excellent source of information.  It explains the program, including the responsibilities of the users and the carriers. The entire process can be completed electronically.

Also, you can contact NCS via telephone or e-mail. 

This concludes my presentation.
Thank you for your attention.