NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12th 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: November 2, 2009 Robert Kenny: (202) 418-2668 Email: robert.kenny@fcc.gov Mark Wigfield: (202-418-0253 Email: mark.wigfield@fcc.gov FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION TO HOLD BROADBAND FIELD HEARING ON IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE Event To Be Held In Conjunction With Georgetown University Medical Center Washington, D.C. – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today announced that it will host a broadband field hearing in conjunction with Georgetown University Medical Center on The Role of Broadband in Improving Public Safety Communications and Emergency Response. The hearing will he held on Thursday, November 12, 2009, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Georgetown University, Leavey Center, 3800 Reservoir Rd, NW, Washington, D.C. 20057. The hearing will focus on the specific broadband requirements for America’s first responders and emergency medical personnel, as well as the use of particular technologies and applications to maximize use of broadband, the cost of implementing such communications technologies, and how the National Broadband Plan now being developed by the Commission can help bring attention to, and address, these critical public safety issues. The hearing will be open to the public; admittance however will be limited to the seating available. Audio/Video coverage of the meeting will be broadcast live with open captioning over the Internet from the FCC's web page at http://www.fcc.gov/live/ . Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities are available upon request. Please include a description of the accommodation you will need. Individuals making such requests must include their contact information should FCC staff need to contact them for more information. Requests should be made as early as possible. Please send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau: 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY). For additional information about the field hearing, please contact Susan McLean at (202) 418- 7868 or by email: susan.mclean@fcc.gov. -FCC- Updates about the Federal Communications Commission’s development of the National Broadband Plan can be found at www.broadband.gov. You can also follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/FCC.