PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 DA # 10-1693 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT September 2, 2010 Robert Kenny: (202) 418-2668 Email: robert.kenny@fcc.gov THE FCC’S PUBLIC SAFETY & HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU ANNOUNCES THE ACTIVATION OF THE DISASTER INFORMATION REPORTING SYSTEM (DIRS) IN RESPONSE TO HURRICANE EARL Washington, DC – The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) of the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) has announced the activation of the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) in response to Hurricane EARL. DIRS is a voluntary, efficient, web-based system that communications providers, including wireless, wireline, broadcast, and cable providers, can use to report communications infrastructure status and situational awareness information during times of crises. The Commission requests that communications providers expeditiously submit and update information through DIRS 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, if they provide service to any areas listed below. Communications providers can accomplish this by accessing DIRS at https://www.fcc.gov/nors/disaster/ or under e-filing on the Commission’s main webpage (www.fcc.gov) or PSHSB webpage (www.fcc.gov/pshs). Providers that have not previously done so will be asked to first provide contact information and obtain a User ID when they access DIRS. Communications providers that serve an area listed below and that have already provided contact information in DIRS will be sent an e-mail requesting that they provide the above- referenced status information through DIRS. We encourage all communications providers that have not already logged onto DIRS to input their contact information, to do so as soon as possible. COUNTIES OF INTEREST IN NORTH CAROLINA FOR THIS ACTIVATION INCLUDE: · Beaufort, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Hyde, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell, and Washington For further information, please contact John Healy of the PSHSB’s Communications Systems Analysis Division at (202) 418-2448 or John.Healy@fcc.gov. - FCC -