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 Federal  Communications  Commission  FCC  06-  83 
 STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  ROBERT  M.  MCDOWELL 


 Re:  Recommendations  of  the  Independent  Panel  Reviewing  the  Impact  of  Hurricane  Katrina  on  Communications  Networks  (EB  Docket  No.  06-  119) 


 In  the  aftermath  of  Hurricane  Katrina,  the  FCC  worked  around  the  clock  to  bring  much  needed  help  and  to  make  available  funds  to  help  restore  communications  and 
 provide  a  lifeline  for  thousands  of  Americans.  Under  the  leadership  of  Chairman  Martin,  the  FCC  was  a  model  of  swift  governmental  response  and  support  in  time  of  need. 


 The  job  of  the  Independent  Panel  was  to  study  the  effect  of  Hurricane  Katrina  on  all  sectors  of  the  telecommunications  and  media  industries,  to  review  and  critique  the 
 recovery  effort  with  respect  to  the  communications  infrastructure,  and  to  present  their  findings  and  recommendations  on  improving  disaster  preparedness,  network  reliability, 
 and  communications  among  first  responders.  I  applaud  the  Chairman  for  his  leadership  in  the  FCC’s  response  to  Hurricane  Katrina  and  in  establishing  this  panel,  and  I  thank 
 Nancy  Victory  and  the  members  of  the  panel  for  their  hard  work. 
 The  lessons  learned  from  the  Katrina  experience  will  allow  us  to  be  better  prepared,  not  just  in  the  Gulf  Coast  region  or  in  the  event  of  a  hurricane,  but  in  the  face  of 
 any  impending  disaster  to  provide  the  critical  infrastructure  and  interoperability  of  communications  systems  so  vital  to  protecting  lives  and  property.  As  we  seek  comment 
 on  how  best  to  act  on  the  recommendations  of  the  Independent  Panel  and  put  these  measures  in  place,  I  urge  everyone  to  weigh  in  on  this  important  issue.  The  power  of 
 every  American  to  serve  the  public  good  has  never  been  stronger,  the  need  to  act  as  one  community  to  defend  against  the  threat  of  harm  has  never  been  more  urgent,  and  the 
 opportunity  to  come  together  to  make  a  difference  has  never  been  greater  than  now. 
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