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 12-1733 Released October 29, 2012 THE FCC’S PUBLIC SAFETY & HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU ANNOUNCES THE ACTIVATION OF THE DISASTER INFORMATION REPORTING SYSTEM IN RESPONSE TO HURRICANE SANDY 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 SANDY. DIRS is a voluntary, web-based system that communications providers, including wireless, wireline, broadcast, cable and Voice over Internet Protocol providers, can use to report communications infrastructure status and situational awareness information during times of crisis. 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 are reminded that NORS obligations are suspended for the duration of the DIRS activation in the counties where DIRS has been activated. Reports are requested beginning 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 30, 2012, and every day after that by 10:00 a.m. until DIRS is deactivated. 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 FOR THIS ACTIVATION INCLUDE: Connecticut: Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, Tolland, Windham District of Columbia Delaware: Kent, New Castle, Sussex 2Maryland: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Baltimore City, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Montgomery, Prince George's, Queen Anne's, Somerset, St. Mary's, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico, Worcester Massachusetts: Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Plymouth New Jersey: Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, Union, Warren New York: Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, Westchester Pennsylvania: Adams, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bucks, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Frannklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Tioga, Union, York Rhode Island: Bristol, Kent, Newport, Providence, Washington Virginia: Accomack, Alexandria City, Arlington, Caroline, Charles City, Chesapeake City, Clarke, Essex, Fairfax, Fairfax City, Falls Church City, Fauquier, Gloucester, Hampton City, Isle of Wight, James City, King and Queen, King George, King William, Lancaster, Loudoun, Manassas City, Manassas Park City, Mathews, Middlesex, New Kent, Newport News City, Norfolk City, Northampton, Northumberland, Portsmouth City, Poquoson City, Prince William, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Suffolk City, Surry, Virginia Beach City, Westmoreland, Williamsburg City, York West Virginia: Berkeley, Jefferson, Morgan For further information, please contact: John Healy (202) 391-2486, (215) 847-8094, or john.healy@fcc.gov Jeff Goldthorp (202) 418-1096, (202) 253-1595 (cell), jeffery.goldthorp@fcc.gov Julia Tu (202) 418-0731, 202-321-4399, julia.tu@fcc.gov Michael Caiafa (202) 418-1311, (202) 277-5690 (cell), michael.caiafa@fcc.gov David Ahn (571) 232-8487 (cell), (202) 418-0853, david.ahn@fcc.gov - FCC -