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 Remarks  of  Commissioner  Deborah  Taylor  Tate 
 on  September  11,  2006  Fall  2006  VON  –  Internet  and  Communications  Policy  Summit 
 Boston,  MA  (as  prepared) 


 Mere  words  can  never  fully  express  the  emotions  we  feel  or  describe  the  images  we  see  in  our  mind’s  eye  when  we  reflect  on  the  horrific  attacks  against  our  country  on 
 September  11,  2001.  The  events  of  that  day  five  years  ago  left  none  of  us  untouched.  Being  here  in  Boston,  I  am  reminded  that  the  two  hijacked  airplanes  that  crashed  into  the 
 World  Trade  Center  towers  departed  from  this  beautiful  and  historic  city. 
 While  we  continue  to  mourn  the  innocent  lives  lost  and  honor  the  brave  and  selfless  acts  of  the  first  responders,  we  must  also  learn  from  our  experience  and  equip 
 the  nation  to  function  more  effectively  in  such  times  of  crisis.  At  the  Federal  Communications  Commission,  my  colleagues  and  I  are  keenly  aware  of  how  important 
 all  communications  technologies  are  when  public  safety  or  homeland  security  concerns  become  paramount. 


 Earlier  this  year,  at  the  second  meeting  of  the  FCC  Independent  Panel  Reviewing  the  Impact  of  Hurricane  Katrina  on  Communications  Networks  in  Mississippi,  I  heard 
 personal  accounts  of  the  devastation  caused  by  Hurricane  Katrina.  The  one  clear  message  I  heard  was  the  need  for  redundancy  in  communications  networks.  I  applaud  the 
 collaborative  efforts  and  contributions  of  the  entire  communications  industry,  which  has  worked  hard  to  address  the  difficult  policy  and  technical  issues  that  make  these 
 necessary  improvements  possible. 
 As  many  of  you  know,  the  Commission  will  soon  unveil  its  new  Public  Safety  and  Homeland  Security  Bureau  to  streamline  functions  at  the  FCC.  This  action 
 underscores  the  fact  that  the  dissemination  of  vital  information  and  interoperable  communications  at  every  level  are  our  first  line  of  defense  against  natural  disasters, 
 attacks  on  our  homeland,  and  even  the  possibility  of  a  pandemic,  other  health-  related,  or  environmental  attack. 
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