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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  26,  2006  Aaron  Goldberger  at  (202)  418-  2500 
 COMMISSIONER  DEBORAH  TAYLOR  TATE  APPLAUDS  THE  LAUNCH  OF  THE  NEW  PUBLIC  SAFETY  AND  HOMELAND 
 SECURITY  BUREAU 
 I  applaud  the  Commission’s  demonstrated  dedication  to  public  safety  and  homeland  security.  The  tragedies  of  September  11,  2001  and  Hurricanes  Katrina  and  Rita  remind  us  of  the 
 importance  of  reliable,  interoperable  communications  systems.  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.  Although  I  was  not  here  at  the  time,  the  Commission’s  response  to 
 Hurricane  Katrina  was  a  model  example  of  how  an  effective  expert  agency  should  respond  to  emergencies.  With  the  launch  of  the  Public  Safety  and  Homeland  Security  Bureau,  I  am 
 confident  that  the  Commission  will  continue  to  strengthen  and  protect  our  Nation’s  communications  infrastructure.  I  am  eager  to  work  with  this  new  Bureau  as  we  continue  to 
 address  policies  that  help  protect  all  Americans. 


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