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 Transcript  of  Closing  Remarks  of  Michael  K.  Powell  Chairman,  Federal  Communications  Commission 
 FCC  Telecommunications  Services  Priority  Summit  Washington  D.  C. 
 Thursday,  February  17,  2005 


 I  think  this  summit  is  important  simply  because  the  issue  of  telecommunications  service  priorities  (TSPs)  is  essential  to  this  country’s  concerted  and  successful  emergency  response 
 infrastructure. 
 In  the  eight  years  I  have  served  on  the  Commission,  I  have  seen  our  responsibilities  become  more  critically  engaged  in  emergency  response  in  the  communications  sector. 


 The  first  way  that  I  was  drawn  into  this  issue  is  when  President  Clinton  asked  me  to  head  up  Y2K  transformation  for  the  communications  sector,  a  daunting  challenge  that  we  were  largely 
 able  to  meet.  While  our  project  was  a  success  and  disaster  was  averted,  the  process  imprinted  on  us  a  deep  understanding  of  how  crucial  it  was  to  begin  a  much  more  focused  and  concerted 
 undertaking  to  bring  our  response  systems,  our  Rolodexes,  our  networks,  our  protocols  and  our  systems  up  to  date  in  order  to  respond  to  that  kind  of  threat  to  critical  infrastructure. 


 If  that  was  not  bad  enough,  the  events  of  9/  11  underscored  the  need  to  create  a  unified  communications  sector  capable  of  coping  with  emergency  response.  I  went  to  New  York  three 
 or  four  days  later  and  saw  the  impact.  We  worked  extensively  with  wireless  carriers  and  Verizon  in  the  enormous  task  of  restoring  networks  and  working  with  public  safety  officials  and 
 emergency  response  officials  who  were  trying  to  manage  the  communications  challenges  they  had  on  the  ground. 


 Ever  since,  the  Commission  has  set  out  on  a  path  to  try  to  integrate  deeply,  even  into  our  policy  proceedings,  the  importance  of  public  safety  response  and  the  importance  of  homeland 
 security.  We  have  also  worked  to  bring  key  stakeholders  together  and  to  try  to  empower  further  the  tools  that  are  necessary  to  be  successful.  TSP  is  unequivocally  one  of  those  services.  But 
 clearly,  as  we  have  heard  today,  we  are  not  there  yet.  In  an  area  like  homeland  security,  we  should  never  be  satisfied.  I  don’t  think  80  per  cent  is  good  enough;  I  don’t  think  90  per  cent  is 
 good  enough,  and  I  don’t  think  until  we’ve  reached  the  finish  line  anyone  should  rest.  This  forum  is  critical  for  that  purpose. 


 I  want  to  commend  the  Department  of  Homeland  Security  for  their  efforts  to  fund  and  equip  public  safety  for  this  capability. 
 I  would  like  to  conclude  with  two  points: 
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 First  and  foremost,  there  is  no  doubt  that  TSP  can  be  an  extraordinary  tool  for  emergency  communications  among  key  officials  and  can  do  a  great  deal  to  minimize  disruptions  in 
 communications  from  key  players  at  key  moments  in  time.  I  was  first  exposed  to  it  in  Y2K,  I  have  used  it,  I  have  been  a  part  of  it,  and  I  can  speak  from  personal  experience  that  it  is 
 something  that  we  really  want  to  achieve. 
 Secondly,  we  have  heard  that  TSP  is  not  sufficiently  deployed  to  our  satisfaction,  and  that  there  are  many  groups  that  are  not  in  the  system  that  should  be  in  the  system.  We  must  dedicate 
 ourselves  to  getting  the  widest  distribution  and  use  as  possible.  If  we  do  not  reach  the  100  per  cent  level,  our  mission  will  not  be  complete. 


 I  am  glad  that  you  have  come  together.  I  want  to  commend  the  people  who  played  a  central  role  in  today’s  forum:  Commissioner  Connie  Hughes,  a  great  friend  and  colleague,  and 
 other  members  of  the  panel.  I  really  appreciate  the  efforts  of  Ed  Thomas,  Chief  of  our  Office  of  Engineering  and  Technology,  Ken  Moran  of  OET,  and  all  of  our  experts  from  the  public  safety 
 and  the  national  security  community.  You  have  all  provided  a  great  service  to  the  Commission  and  to  America  and  I  thank  you  for  it. 


 This  is  not  the  end,  of  course;  it  is  just  the  beginning.  The  Commission  is  here  to  lend  its  support. 
 Thank  you  for  letting  me  conclude  this  important  conference  for  you. 
 -  FCC  - 
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