Genachowski Memo Probes FCC Readiness to Handle Public Safety Crisis

“When disaster strikes, the ability to communicate is essential,” the memo said. “The FCC plays a key role in ensuring our nation’s telecommunications is robust and resilient. In the event of a major crisis, the Commission should be prepared to act decisively, within the scope of its jurisdiction, to enable communications among emergency first responders and among citizens.”

The memo asked Furth to describe in detail the FCC’s main functions during a crisis affecting both significant communications infrastructure and FCC and government continuity of operations. It also asks for a description of preparedness and continuity training exercises, including a schedule of recent and planned training exercises and the results of past exercises. It asks for a description of “real-world” incidents over the past five years that required the FCC to initiate its emergency plan, including false alarms. “What was the incident,” the memo asked. “What was the agency’s response? How did the agency perform?”

The memo also probes FCC efforts aimed at detecting and responding to a cyberattack or a public health emergency such as a pandemic, and it asks about known “risks and gaps” in FCC emergency preparedness capabilities. “The intent of this briefing is to illuminate issues that may need prompt attention from the chairman,” the memo said. “We expect the briefing to be conducted in a spirit of candor and open discussion.”

“Public safety is an important priority for Chairman Genachowski -- which he also made clear in his confirmation hearing,” said Jen Howard, his press secretary. “The chairman will continue to seek ways to address critical issues surrounding public safety and this memo is the first step in that process.”

“I think what you're going to see at the FCC is a head- to-toe examination of the issues in front of them across a wide range,” said a former top FCC official. “This is clearly a sign they want to show they're going to pay attention to be attentive to public safety issues. I'm sure there are going to be other efforts like this around the commission.” The industry attorney predicted Genachowski will be more likely to raise such issues publicly than has been the case with other recent chairmen. “This administration has made a big deal about transparency,” the lawyer said. “Whereas in the past [a new chairman] might have said let’s just have a lot of people in and ask them what they think, I think you're going to see with this administration much more of the type of thing where they're going to kind of create a window for people to present views.”

Brian Fontes, president of NENA, said on Tuesday he welcomed the review. “Over the years, the commission continues to improve processes to ensure emergency communication is restored quickly in times of emergencies,” Fontes said. “A thorough review of the commission’s processes will enable the commission to determine what works and what could work better with improvements.

“APCO International is pleased that Chairman Genachowski is focusing on public safety and homeland security issues from the outset,” said APCO Executive Director George Rice. “As to the internal review … our experience has been that the FCC staff do a good job of preparing for and responding to major emergencies.”

Still unclear is who Genachowski will pick to head the Public Safety Bureau. Furth, a bureau veteran with strong ties to the public safety community, was appointed to the post by Michael Copps when he was acting Chairman. Bruce Gottlieb, a former advisor to Copps, is overseeing public safety issues in the chairman’s office.