*Pages 1--1 from  Microsoft Word - 59801.doc*
 Federal  Communications  Commission  FCC  06-  35 
 STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  DEBORAH  TAYLOR  TATE 


 Re:  Establishment  of  the  Public  Safety  and  Homeland  Security  Bureau 
 We  could  never  have  imagined  the  horrible  tragedies  that  our  country  and  thousands  of  individuals  have  faced  over  the  past  few  years  from  the  terrorist  attacks  on  9/  11  to  the  more  recent  catastrophic  natural 
 disasters  along  the  Gulf  Coast.  Last  week,  hearing  personal  accounts  in  Mississippi  at  the  second  meeting  of  the  FCC  Independent  Panel  Reviewing  the  Impact  of  Hurricane  Katrina  on  Communications  Networks 
 made  such  an  impact  on  me.  While  certainly  we  cannot  ensure  these  events  will  never  occur;  we  must  be  more  and  better  prepared  to  deal  with  the  aftermath.  In  addition,  not  only  must  we  be  prepared  for  the 
 events  that  have  already  occurred,  but  also  the  possibility  of  a  pandemic  or  other  health-  related  attacks.  The  one  clear  message  we  heard  was  the  need  for  better  communications.  Therefore,  I  am  pleased  to 
 support  our  pledge  to  improve  our  own  efforts  to  streamline  communications  and  functions  here  at  the  Federal  Communications  Commission. 


 On  September  29,  2005,  Chairman  Martin  appeared  before  the  House  Commerce  and  Energy  Committee’s  Subcommittee  on  Telecommunications  and  the  Internet  to  announce  his  intention  for  the 
 Commission  to  take  three  important  steps:  1)  to  make  more  than  $200  million  of  relief  available;  2)  to  establish  an  independent  expert  panel  charged  with  reviewing  the  impact  of  Hurricane  Katrina  on  the 
 communications  infrastructure  in  the  affected  areas  and  making  recommendations  to  improve  disaster  preparedness,  network  reliability,  and  communication  among  first  responders;  and  3)  to  create  a  new  FCC 
 bureau  to  better  coordinate  the  agency’s  planning  and  response  efforts  to  disaster. 
 Today,  we  “make  good”  on  the  third  and  final  promise  of  those  plans,  and  perhaps  the  most  wide-reaching  initiative  --  to  create  a  new  FCC  bureau  to  implement  this  coordination.  The  creation  of  this  new 
 bureau  will  ensure  that  the  FCC,  which,  in  my  opinion,  went  above  and  beyond  the  call  of  duty  in  the  aftermath  of  Hurricane  Katrina,  is  better  prepared  not  only  to  respond  to  future  disasters,  but  also  to 
 undertake,  in  a  more  coordinated  fashion,  assessment  and  planning  initiatives  to  prevent  loss  of  life  and  destruction  of  property  no  matter  the  disaster. 


 There  is  still  much  work  to  be  done.  As  I  visited  with  “Hands”,  a  nonprofit  organization  that  is  still  distributing  much  needed  clothing,  food,  household  appliances,  and  other  necessities  to  the  Gulf  Coast,  I 
 was  struck  by  how  very  much  work  there  still  is  to  be  done  --  work  to  restore  not  only  services,  but  to  rebuild  homes  and  businesses,  and  to  restore  hope. 


 As  we  learned  from  these  horrifying  events,  ours  is  a  national  community  in  a  global  economy.  The  security  of  our  country  depends  on  the  strength  of  our  commitment  to  protect  all  Americans.  Our  action 
 today  makes  clear  our  commitment  and  underscores  the  concept  that  the  dissemination  of  vital  information  and  interoperable  communications  at  every  level  are  our  first  line  of  defense  against  threatening  elements, 
 whether  natural  or  foreign. 
1