*Pages 1--6 from  Microsoft Word - Written Statement of FCC's Ken Moran.doc*
 Written  Statement  of 
 Kenneth  P.  Moran  Director,  Office  of  Homeland  Security 
 Enforcement  Bureau  Federal  Communications  Commission 

 Hearing  on  Ensuring  Operability  During  Catastrophic  Events 
 Before  the  Committee  on  Homeland  Security 
 Subcommittee  on  Emergency  Preparedness,  Science,  and  Technology 

 United  States  House  of  Representatives 

 October  26,  2005 
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 Good  morning,  Mr.  Chairman  and  distinguished  members  of  the  Subcommittee.  My  name  is  Ken  Moran  and  I  serve  as  the  Director  of  the  Federal  Communications  Commissions 
 Office  of  Homeland  Security.  In  that  role,  I  am  primarily  responsible  for  consolidating  support  for  the  homeland  security  and  emergency  preparedness  responsibilities  of  the  Commission. 

 In  my  testimony  today,  I  will  describe  some  of  the  damage  wrought  by  Hurricanes  Katrina  and  Rita  to  the  communications  industry  and  the  Commissions  efforts  to  assist  consumers, 
 the  industries  the  agency  regulates,  and  other  Federal  Agencies  during  this  difficult  crisis.  Finally,  I  will  also  address  the  Commissions  efforts  to  ensure  public  safety  operability  during 
 catastrophic  events  such  as  the  recent  hurricanes. 
 As  we  all  know,  Hurricane  Katrina  and  Hurricane  Rita  devastated  the  Gulf  Coast.  People  lost  their  homes,  their  businesses,  and  even  their  lives.  Hurricane  Wilma  has  also  brought 
 devastation  to  the  people  of  Florida.  Our  hearts  go  out  to  all  of  those  who  are  now  struggling  with  putting  their  lives  back  together. 

 The  destruction  that  Hurricane  Katrina  caused  to  the  facilities  of  communications  companies,  and  therefore  the  services  upon  which  citizens  rely,  was  extraordinary.  More  than 
 three  million  customer  telephone  lines  were  knocked  down  in  the  Louisiana,  Mississippi,  and  Alabama  area.  Significant  damage  was  inflicted  both  on  the  wireline  switching  centers  that  route 
 calls  and  on  the  lines  used  to  connect  buildings  and  customers  to  the  network.  Thirty-  eight  9-  1-  1  call  centers  went  down.  Local  wireless  networks  also  sustained  considerable  damage  with  more 
 than  one  thousand  cell  sites  out  of  service.  Over  20  million  telephone  calls  did  not  go  through  the  day  after  the  hurricane.  While  we  were  not  able  to  contact  every  station  in  the  immediate 
 aftermath,  we  estimate  that  approximately  100  broadcast  stations  were  knocked  off  the  air.  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  cable  customers  lost  service. 

 Hurricane  Rita,  which  struck  parts  of  Texas  and  Louisiana,  also  caused  significant  damage.  It  produced  extensive  flooding  throughout  the  affected  area,  including  many  of  the 
 same  parishes  in  Louisiana  still  working  to  recover  from  Hurricane  Katrina.  The  hurricane  left  more  than  80,000  consumers  without  telephone  service,  damaged  more  than  20  telephone 
 company  switches,  and  knocked  out  more  than  250  cell  sites  in  the  vicinity  of  Beaumont,  Texas  and  Lake  Charles,  Louisiana.  In  addition,  at  least  five  broadcasters  went  off  the  air  in  the 
 affected  area  as  a  result  of  the  hurricanes  wind  and  flooding  damage. 
 As  a  result  of  the  communications  breakdown,  it  was  extremely  difficult  for  hundreds  of  thousands  of  people  to  receive  news  and  emergency  information  and  to  communicate  with  their 
 loved  ones.  Emergency  workers  and  public  safety  officials  had  difficulty  coordinating.  It  was  at  times  like  these  that  we  were  reminded  of  the  importance  of  being  able  to  communicate.  While 
 no  communications  network  could  be  expected  to  remain  fully  operational  in  the  face  of  a  direct  hit  from  a  category  four  or  five  hurricane,  that  fact  was  little  consolation  to  the  people  on  the 
 ground. 
 Fortunately,  the  work  to  restore  communications  services  began  almost  immediately.  While  considerable  problems  remain,  the  companies  in  the  region  have  made  meaningful 
 progress.  They  have  overcome  significant  obstacles    including  flooding,  lack  of  power, 
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 dwindling  fuel  resources  for  generators,  and  security    to  rebuild,  reconnect  and  broadcast.  After  Hurricane  Katrina,  three  radio  stations  in  New  Orleans  continued  to  operate  throughout  the 
 storm,  and  a  fourth  resumed  operations  within  several  hours  of  losing  power.  Wireline  carriers  were  able  to  begin  restoring  service  within  five  days,  with  significant  improvement 
 accomplished  within  a  week,  and  wireless  carriers  began  to  restore  service  within  two  days,  with  substantial  improvement  by  the  first  weekend.  These  extraordinary  efforts  were  performed  by 
 employees,  many  of  whom  had  suffered  their  own  personal  losses,  yet  still  continued  to  work  to  restore  services  to  all. 

 COMMISSION  ACTIONS 
 The  Commission  has  devoted  significant  time  and  resources  to  enable  first  responders  to  communicate  and  to  facilitate  companies  ability  to  quickly  restore  services  in  the  region.  On 
 August  30  th  ,  Chairman  Martin  established  an  internal  Task  Force  consisting  of  senior  executives  and  management  from  within  the  Commission.  Chairman  Martin  directed  the  Task  Force  to  coordinate  the 
 FCCs  hurricane  response  efforts,  which  fall  into  two  categories:  (1)  regulatory  relief;  and  (2)  industry  outreach  and  coordination  with  other  federal  agencies.  The  Task  Force  has  been  working  on  these 
 assignments  continuously  since  August  30  th  .  To  date,  nearly  200  FCC  employees  have  assisted  in  this  effort. 

 Regulatory  Relief 
 The  Commission  has  taken  a  number  of  steps  to  facilitate  the  resumption  of  communications  services  in  the  affected  areas  and  to  authorize  the  use  of  temporary  communications  services  for  use  by 
 disaster  relief  personnel  and  evacuees  in  shelters. 
 At  the  start  of  the  disaster,  the  Commission  notified  communications  providers  that  it  would  provide  streamlined  treatment  for  requests  for  special  temporary  authority  (STA)  in  order 
 to  aid  them  in  resuming  and  maintaining  operations  in  areas  impacted  by  Hurricane  Katrina.  The  FCC  has  granted  more  than  90  STA  requests  and  more  than  100  temporary  frequency 
 authorizations  for  emergency  workers,  organizations  and  companies  to  provide  wireless  and  broadcast  service  in  the  affected  areas  and  shelters  around  the  country.  The  Commission  has 
 granted  each  of  these  requests  within  4  hours  of  receipt  of  all  necessary  information  from  the  requestor,  except  in  instances  requiring  coordination  with  other  government  agencies.  Even  in 
 those  cases,  requests  have  been  granted  within  24  hours.  In  addition,  the  Commission  has  released  several  public  notices  and  quickly  adopted  orders  to  provide  temporary  relief. 

 Industry  Outreach  and  Coordination  with  Other  Federal  Agencies 
 The  Commission  has  been  working  closely  with  industry  as  well  as  the  Federal  Emergency  Management  Agency  (FEMA)  and  the  National  Communications  System  (NCS)  pursuant  to  the 
 procedures  established  in  the  National  Response  Plan.  The  Commission  is  continuously  reaching  out  to  communications  companies  serving  the  affected  area    wireline  and  wireless  network  providers, 
 broadcasters,  cable  providers,  satellite  providers    and  to  trade  associations  for  these  providers  to  assess  the  companies  status  and  determine  what  they  need  to  resume  operations.  These  efforts  include 
 Commission  staff  contacting  each  of  the  broadcast  stations  in  the  affected  region. 
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 The  FCC  provides  the  critical  information  about  resources  that  communications  providers  need  to  restore  and  maintain  service  in  the  affected  area  to  FEMA  and  NCS,  who  are  responsible  for  ensuring  that 
 priority  needs  are  met.  For  instance,  the  Commission  identified  wireline  central  offices  and  radio  and  television  broadcasters  that  could  be  operational  if  provided  fuel  to  power  on-  site  generators.  The  agency 
 updates  FEMA  and  NCS  daily  on  evolving  needs. 
 The  Commission  also  is  responsible  for  providing  the  National  Coordinating  Center  (NCC)  with  information  on  communications  companies  operational  status  for  incorporation  into  the  government-  - 
 wide  situation  reports.  Again,  the  agency  gathers  and  submits  this  data  daily. 
 In  addition,  the  FCC  has  worked  closely  with  the  communications  industry  to  help  identify  resources  for  use  by  disaster  response  personnel.  The  agency  both  transmits  this  information  to  NCC 
 and  facilitates  industrys  communication  with  other  federal  officials.  For  example,  Commission  staff  coordinated  discussions  between  FEMA  and  a  major  Direct  Broadcast  Satellite  (DBS)  provider  to  set 
 up  free  televisions  at  disaster  relief  facilities  and  to  provide  a  nationwide  channel  for  disaster  emergency  services  programming.  Staff  also  worked  with  a  wide  range  of  providers    including  those 
 offering  competitive  facilities-  based  telecommunications,  satellite,  wireless,  wireless  internet  access  and  Wi-  Fi  services    to  identify  those  providers  capable  of  offering  facilities  and  services  that  can  assist 
 those  in  the  affected  area. 
 Finally,  the  Commission  has  been  coordinating  with  the  Interagency  Coordinating  Council  on  Individuals  with  Disabilities,  organized  by  the  Department  of  Homeland  Security,  to  ensure  that  the 
 needs  of  the  disability  community  are  addressed  in  the  coordinated  federal  relief  efforts. 
 INTEROPERABILITY 
 In  the  aftermath  of  Hurricanes  Katrina  and  Rita,  the  Commission  has  devoted  significant  time  and  resources  to  enable  first  responders  to  communicate  and  to  help  facilitate  companies 
 ability  to  quickly  restore  communications  services  in  the  region.  For  example,  the  Commission  granted  special  temporary  authorities  (STAs)  to  allow  first  responders  to  use  through-  the-  wall 
 imaging  equipment  to  locate  hurricane  victims  and  to  emergency  response  organizations  to  facilitate  communications  on  the  ground. 

 These  recent  disasters  are  also  prompting  the  Commission  to  reassess  the  steps  that  have  been  taken  to  address  interoperability  in  recent  years.  These  steps  have  consisted  mainly  of 
 efforts  (1)  to  provide  additional  spectrum  to  public  safety  entities;  (2)  to  promote  technological  developments  that  enhance  interoperability;  and  (3)  to  provide  technical  expertise  and  input  on  a 
 number  of  interagency  efforts. 
 The  Commission  has  designated  approximately  97  MHz  of  spectrum  from  ten  different  bands  for  public  safety  use  throughout  the  country.  Public  safety  entities  also  actively  use 
 spectrum-  based  services  in  other  spectrum  bands.  In  addition,  the  Commission  has  designated  certain  channels  in  these  public  safety  bands  specifically  for  interoperability.  By 
 interoperability,  we  generally  mean  radio  communications  between  public  safety  agencies  (usually  of  different  jurisdictions)  in  furtherance  of  both  day-  to-  day  and  emergency  operations. 
 Frequencies  designated  for  interoperability  include  2.6  MHz  of  the  700  MHz  band,  5  channels  in 
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 reaching  out,  and  responding  to,  consumers  affected  by  this  tragedy. 
 The  Commission  stands  ready  to  work  with  Congress,  our  colleagues  at  federal,  state,  and  local  agencies,  and  the  American  public  to  do  whatever  we  can  to  help  with  the  disaster  relief 
 and  restoration  efforts.  I  would  be  pleased  to  respond  to  your  questions. 
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