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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  CONTACT: 
 September  9,  2005  Daniel  Gonzalez:  (202)  418-  1000  Jessica  Rosenworcel:(  202)  418-  2000 
 JOINT  STATEMENT  OF  CHAIRMAN  KEVIN  J.  MARTIN  AND  COMMISSIONER  MICHAEL  J.  COPPS 
 FOLLOWING  THEIR  VISIT  TO  THE  GULF  STATE  REGION  AFFECTED  BY  HURRICANE  KATRINA 


 Washington,  D.  C.—  Yesterday,  Chairman  Kevin  J.  Martin  and  Commissioner  Michael  J.  Copps  visited  communities  in  the  Gulf  State  region  affected  by  Hurricane 
 Katrina.  They  witnessed  first  hand  the  impact  of  the  storm  on  the  residents  and  the  region’s  telecommunications  infrastructure. 


 Chairman  Martin  and  Commissioner  Copps  stated:  “We  are  encouraged  that  in  the  aftermath  of  Hurricane  Katrina  carriers  are  working  day  and  night  to  speed  the 
 restoration  of  service  in  Gulf  State  communities.  We  salute  the  Herculean  efforts  of  their  employees—  many  of  whom  have  experienced  terrible  personal  loss  and  property  damage 
 in  this  tragic  storm.  We  are  committed  to  doing  everything  within  our  power  to  aid  these  extraordinary  recovery  efforts.  In  the  days  ahead,  the  challenge  will  be  facilitating 
 service  restoration.  But  in  the  long  term,  we  will  need  to  learn  from  this  event  and  work  together  to  improve  the  reliability,  survivability,  and  security  of  our  nation’s 
 telecommunications  networks.” 
 On  Thursday,  September  15,  2005,  the  Commission  will  hold  an  Open  Meeting  that  will  focus  on  the  effects  of  Hurricane  Katrina  on  communications  services  in  the 
 Gulf  Coast  states. 


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