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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  Fax-  On-  Demand  202/  418-  2830  TTY  202/  418-  2555  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  Contact:  David  Fiske  July  10,  2003  (202)  418-  0513 
 FCC  Homeland  Security  Initiatives  Statement  by  FCC  Chairman  Michael  K.  Powell 
 Since  September  11,  the  Federal  Communications  Commission  has  worked  tirelessly  to  ensure  that  our  policies  maximize  the  many  efforts  being  made  to  keep  our  nation  safe. 
 Within  weeks  of  the  terrorist  attacks,  we  created  a  Homeland  Security  Policy  Council,  comprised  of  senior  managers  from  throughout  the  agency  and  charged  with  coordinating  the 
 Commission’s  Homeland  Security  initiatives  both  internally  and  externally.  We  rechartered  the  Network  Reliability  and  Interoperability  Council,  one  of  our  Federal  Advisory  Committees,  to 
 focus  on  Homeland  Security.  We  created  another  Federal  Advisory  Committee,  the  Media  Security  and  Reliability  Council,  to  bring  together  representatives  of  the  media  industry  for 
 purposes  of  focusing  on  emergency  communication  and  coordination  plans. 
 And  we  made  Homeland  Security  one  of  the  five  pillars  of  the  Commission’s  Strategic  Plan.  Since  then,  each  of  the  Commission’s  Bureaus  and  Offices  has  integrated  a  Homeland 
 Security  focus  into  its  work  and  has  ongoing  and  future  projects  that  will  enhance  the  security  and  reliability  of  the  communications  infrastructure  or  enhance  emergency  response  through 
 communications.  Today  we  announce  another  important  step  in  furthering  the  Commission’s  efforts  to  promote  Homeland  Security:  the  creation  of  an  Office  of  Homeland  Security  in  the 
 Enforcement  Bureau  that  will  provide  consolidated  support  for  the  Commission  in  meeting  our  Homeland  Security  and  emergency  preparedness  responsibilities. 


 The  current  FCC  Homeland  Security  action  plan  demonstrates  the  depth  and  breadth  of  projects  we  undertake  to  ensure  that  the  FCC  does  its  part  on  the  Homeland  Security  front.  I  am 
 proud  of  the  work  we  have  done  in  this  critical  area  and  look  forward  to  working  with  my  colleagues  to  ensure  our  continued  success. 


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