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 NEWS  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 For  Immediate  Release  News  Media  Contacts:  September  13,  2002  FCC:  Robin  Pence  (202)  418-  0505 
 Qwest:  Claire  Maledon  (303)  965-  2689 


 COMMUNICATIONS  INDUSTRY  ADOPTS  MEASURES  TO  IMPROVE  EMERGENCY  PREPAREDNESS  OF  NATION’S  TELECOMMUNICATIONS  SERVICE 
 Washington,  D.  C.  –  Fifty-  six  senior  representatives  from  the  telecommunications,  cable,  Internet  and  satellite  industries  today  adopted  two  critical  measures  that  provide  the  framework 
 for  a  coordinated  industry  response  in  the  event  of  an  emergency  or  disaster. 
 The  measures  were  adopted  by  the  Network  Reliability  and  Interoperability  Council  (NRIC)  VI  which  held  its  quarterly  meeting  today  at  the  FCC. 


 The  items  adopted  today  are: 
 €  Industry  emergency  contact  procedures  and  protocol.  This  provides  detailed  contact  information,  procedures  and  protocol  to  industry  members  in  times  of  emergency, 
 identifying  communications  industry  representatives  who  are  essential  to  effective  communications  and  Internet  service  restoration  efforts. 


 €  Emergency  assistance  agreement.  This  provides  the  means  by  which  industry  carriers  and  service  providers  can  elect  to  enter  agreements  to  collaborate  to  restore  service  in  the 
 wake  of  an  emergency. 
 NRIC  VI  was  chartered  January  7,  2002  to  focus  on  homeland  security  by  ensuring  the  security  and  sustainability  of  public  telecommunications  networks  in  the  event  of  a  national 
 disaster,  emergency  or  terrorist  attack.  Membership  in  NRIC  was  significantly  expanded  through  NRIC  VI  to  include  for  the  first  time  corporate  representatives  from  the  cable,  wireless, 
 satellite  and  ISP  industries.  It  also  established  four  new  working  groups  to  address  homeland  security:  Physical  Security,  Cyber  Security,  Disaster  Recovery  and  Public  Safety. 


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 FCC  Chairman  Michael  Powell  said,  “This  week’s  first  anniversary  of  9/  11  reminds  us  all  of  the  critical  role  our  nation’s  telecommunications  networks  play  in  an  emergency  event. 
 Last  year  and  today,  this  industry  has  demonstrated  its  leadership  in  working  together  to  ensure  the  stability  and  reliability  of  our  telecommunications  infrastructure  and  has  served  as  a  model 
 for  other  industries.  Today’s  actions  are  an  important  step  forward  in  ensuring  we  meet  the  homeland  security  goals  we  set  forth  for  NRIC.” 


 Richard  C.  Notebaert,  NRIC  Chairman  and  Chairman  and  CEO  of  Qwest  Communications  International  said,  “Last  year,  on  9/  11,  the  industry  demonstrated  how  well  it 
 can  come  together  and  respond  quickly  during  a  crisis.  Today,  it  has  never  been  more  important  to  say  to  the  world  and  to  our  nation  that  we  are  an  industry  that  pulls  together  to  ensure 
 consistent  quality  of  service  and  reliability  to  our  customers.” 
 Based  on  the  effective  role  NRIC  has  played  in  bringing  together  leaders  from  the  telecommunications  industry,  on  March  28,  2002  Powell  established  a  broadcast  industry 
 counterpart  –  the  Media  Security  and  Reliability  Council  (MSRC).  MSRC,  comprised  of  members  from  broadcast,  cable  and  satellite  companies,  is  charged  with  facilitating  broadcasters’ 
 preparedness  to  act  in  an  emergency. 
 NRIC  was  established  by  the  FCC  in  1992  to  bring  together  leaders  of  the  communications  industry  and  telecommunications  experts  to  explore  and  recommend  measures 
 that  will  enhance  network  reliability,  security,  interoperability  and  interconnectivity.  The  Council’s  members  are  senior  representatives  of  providers  and  users  of  telecommunications 
 services  and  products,  including  telecommunications  carriers,  the  satellite,  cable  television,  wireless  and  computer  industries,  trade  associations,  labor  and  consumer  representatives, 
 manufacturers,  research  organizations  and  government-  related  organizations. 
 NRIC’s  next  advisory  meeting  will  be  December  6,  2002.  At  this  meeting,  the  Council  will  vote  to  adopt  recommendations  on  best  industry  practices  for  protecting  critical 
 infrastructure  in  the  areas  of  physical  security  and  cyber  security. 
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