[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 236 (Monday, December 9, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72957-72962]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-30969]


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FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM

[Docket No. R-1137]


Federal Reserve Board Sponsorship for Priority Telecommunication 
Services of Organizations That Are Important to National Security/
Emergency Preparedness

AGENCY: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Board is updating its sponsorship policy and procedures 
for National Security/Emergency Preparedness telecommunication programs 
administered by the National Communications System. The Board has 
expanded its sponsorship criteria for the Telecommunications Service 
Priority (TSP) and has adopted sponsorship criteria for the Government 
Emergency Telecommunications Service and the Wireless Priority Service 
programs that are similar to its TSP sponsorship criteria. The Board 
believes that these programs will help facilitate the operation and 
liquidity of banks and the stability of financial markets, particularly 
during periods of substantial operational disruptions.

EFFECTIVE DATE: December 9, 2002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken Buckley, Assistant Director (202/
452-3646), Karen Cunigan, Manager (202/452-2027), or Wayne Pacine, 
Senior IT Analyst (202/452-2210), Division of Reserve Bank Operations 
and Payment Systems; for users of Telecommunication Devices for the 
Deaf (TDD) only, contact 202/263-4869.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The National Communications System (NCS) was established in 1963 to 
provide priority communications support to critical government 
functions during emergencies. In 1984, NCS NS/EP responsibilities 
expanded, and NCS became an interagency group of 22 federal departments 
and agencies, including the Federal Reserve Board. This interagency 
group coordinates and plans NS/EP telecommunications to respond to 
crises and disasters. The NCS has developed a number of priority 
telecommunications services that are also available to private-sector 
entities through sponsorship by an NCS member department or agency. The 
events of September 11, 2001, put a new focus on the importance of 
these programs to the nation and to the financial sector.
    In November 1988, the FCC adopted rules establishing the 
Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) program for expedited 
restoration of disrupted telecommunication services and expedited 
provision of new telecommunication services that support national 
security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) functions (47 CFR part 64, 
Appendix A). Telecommunication services necessary for NS/EP are defined 
as: ``those that are used to maintain a state of readiness or to 
respond to and manage any event or crisis (local, national, or 
international) which causes or could cause injury or harm to the 
population, damage to or loss of property, or degrades or threatens the 
NS/EP posture of the United States.''
    Two categories of telecommunication services fall within this 
definition: Emergency NS/EP and Essential NS/EP. Under the FCC rule, 
Emergency NS/EP telecommunication services are those new services that 
are ``so critical as to be required to be provisioned at the earliest 
possible time without regard to the costs of obtaining them.'' An 
example of Emergency NS/EP service is federal government activity in 
response to a Presidential declared disaster or emergency.
    Essential NS/EP telecommunication services must qualify under one 
of four subcategories: (A) National security leadership (the President 
of the United States); (B) national security posture and U.S. 
population attack warning; (C) public health, safety, and maintenance 
of law and order; and (D) public welfare and maintenance of national 
economic posture. Essential services are assigned a priority on a scale 
of 1 to 5 (with 1 as the highest priority) based on the appropriate 
subcategory. Services in subcategory A qualify for priority levels 1-5; 
those in subcategory B qualify for priority levels 2-5; those in 
subcategory C qualify for priority levels 3-5; and services in 
subcategory D qualify for priority levels 4-5.
    The FCC delegated the administration of the NS/EP TSP program to 
the Executive Office of the President (EOP). The EOP's responsibilities 
under the NS/EP TSP program are administered by the NCS, established by 
Executive Orders 12472 and 13231.\1\ In 2001 the NCS' mission was 
expanded to include protection of critical information assets as 
directed by the Office of Homeland Security. The NCS has enacted a 
range of priority telecommunications access programs to support its 
mission. In particular, NCS has established the Government Emergency 
Telecommunications Service (GETS) program, which provides emergency 
access and priority processing of local and long-distance calls over 
the terrestrial public switched network, and

[[Page 72958]]

the Wireless Priority Service (WPS) program, which provides priority 
routing of cellular calls during periods of severe network congestion. 
The Board's Division of Reserve Bank Operations and Payment Systems has 
responsibility for the Federal Reserve's NS/EP services and a division 
officer serves as a member of the Committee for National Security and 
Emergency Preparedness Communications.
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    \1\ The administrative structure of the NCS consists of the 
executive agent, (the Secretary of Defense, as designated by the 
President), the Manager (designated by the executive agent) and the 
Committee for National Security and Emergency Preparedness 
(representatives from federal departments, agencies, and entities 
with significant national security or emergency preparedness 
telecommunications responsibilities). The Federal Reserve System was 
designated as a ``participating independent entity'' on the 
Committee for National Security and Emergency Preparedness. The EOP 
has assigned to the NCS Manager the administrative authority 
delegated to the EOP by the FCC, as well as the authority to 
administer the NS/EP programs after invocation of the President's 
war emergency powers. NCS policies and procedures for administering 
NS/EP telecommunication programs are available on NCS' Web site at 
http://www.ncs.gov.
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    Organizations other than federal government agencies must apply to 
participate in NCS NS/EP programs through a federal agency authorized 
to provide sponsorship. The Board and designated member agencies of the 
Financial and Banking Information Infrastructure Committee (FBIIC) of 
the President's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board may sponsor 
these organizations under the national economic posture category.\2\ In 
its role as a sponsoring Federal organization, the Board supports the 
Treasury's specific NS/EP responsibilities as described in Executive 
Order 12656 on matters related to ``operation and liquidity of banks'' 
and ``maintenance and restoration of stable and orderly markets.''
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    \2\ FBIIC is a standing committee of the President's Critical 
Infrastructure Protection Board, and is charged with coordinating 
federal and state financial regulatory efforts to improve the 
reliability and security of the U.S. financial system. Treasury's 
Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions chairs the committee. 
Members of the FBIIC include representatives of the Commodity 
Futures Trading Commission, the Conference of State Bank 
Supervisors, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal 
Reserve Board, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, 
the National Credit Union Administration, the Office of the 
Comptroller of the Currency, the Office of Federal Housing 
Enterprise Oversight, the Offices of Homeland and Cyberspace 
Security, the Office of Thrift Supervision, and the Securities and 
Exchange Commission.
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II. Criteria for Sponsorship of Organizations for NS/EP 
Telecommunication Programs

    Telecommunications services are designated as essential where a 
disruption of ``a few minutes to one day'' could seriously affect the 
continued operations that support an NS/EP function. In 1993, the Board 
established policies and procedures for its sponsorship of 
organizations for priority provision and restoration of 
telecommunications services under the TSP program (58 FR 38569, July 
19, 1993).\3\ Under these policies, the Board sponsors:
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    \3\ Clearing systems operated by SEC-registered clearing 
agencies, securities exchanges, and other securities industry 
participants registered with the SEC should request TSP sponsorship 
from the SEC. Contract markets or clearing organizations for 
contract markets registered under the Commodity Exchange Act and 
other futures and options market participants subject to the 
jurisdiction of the CFTC should request TSP sponsorship from the 
CFTC. (
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    (1) Backbone circuits used in large-value interbank funds transfer, 
securities transfer, or payment-related services (such as Fedwire, 
CHIPS, and SWIFT) that require same-day recovery and are critical to 
the operation and liquidity of banks or to the stability of financial 
markets,
    (2) Access circuits connecting participants or their third-party 
processors to a sponsored large-value network that transmit a daily 
average aggregate value of funds and/or securities transfers of at 
least $2 billion,\4\
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    \4\ The Board currently sponsors Fedwire access circuits for 300 
institutions, CHIPS access circuits for 56 institutions, and SWIFT 
access circuits for 18 institutions.
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    (3) Eligible dedicated voice circuits from the Federal Reserve Bank 
of New York to primary dealers,
    (4) The domestic components of circuits from the New York Reserve 
Bank to foreign exchange counterparties and foreign central banks,
    (5) Circuits used to connect the large competitive bidders using 
the Treasury Automated Auction Processing System to the New York 
Reserve Bank, and
    (6) Other circuits that meet an alternate criterion acceptable to 
the Board's director of the Division of Reserve Bank Operations and 
Payment Systems.
    The Board has expanded its 1993 TSP sponsorship criteria to 
explicitly include the following:
    (7) Access circuits that connect settlement agents that settle a 
daily average of at least $2 billion (net, one side) to the Federal 
Reserve's net settlement service,
    (8) Backbone circuits used by the networks of ACH operators, as 
well as the access circuits connecting depository institutions and 
third-party processors that originate a daily average of at least $2 
billion to their ACH operator,
    (9) Access circuits connecting customers of Fedwire, CHIPS, or 
SWIFT participants that originate a daily average of at least $2 
billion per day to their bank,
    (10) Backbone circuits used for the CLS Bank network, access 
circuits connecting customers to the CLS Bank, and circuits connecting 
CLS Bank customers to Fedwire,
    (11) Access circuits connecting settlement banks to the Depository 
Trust Company, the Government Securities Clearing Corporation, the 
National Securities Clearing Corporation, the Options Clearing 
Corporation, the Mortgage Backed Securities Clearing Corporation, the 
Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Board of Trade Clearing Corporation, 
or the New York Mercantile Exchange, and
    (12) Additional circuits used internally by a sponsored 
organization that are essential for the smooth operation of the 
function for which its other circuits are given TSP designation.
    The Board sponsors circuits meeting these criteria for a TSP 
priority level 4.
    Under criterion 6, the Board may sponsor circuits leased by an 
organization that may not meet any of the other sponsorship criteria, 
if a disruption of that circuit for a few minutes to one day could 
seriously affect operations that support the maintenance of the 
national economic posture. If a financial institution believes that one 
or more of its circuits meet this standard and wishes that those 
circuits be given TSP designation, its application for TSP status 
should include an explanation of how the circuit is critical to the 
maintenance of the national economic posture. The Board will consult 
with the organization's primary regulator in considering such 
applications for TSP sponsorship.
    Since 1993, the NCS has established two other NS/EP 
telecommunications programs in which the Board participates. The 
Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) program provides 
emergency access and priority processing of local and long-distance 
calls over the terrestrial public switched network. GETS is intended to 
be used in emergency or crisis situations when heavy call volumes 
decrease the probability of completing a call. The Board has sponsored 
key Federal Reserve staff and staff from organizations that qualify 
under its TSP criteria for the GETS program.
    The Wireless Priority Service (WPS) program provides priority 
routing of cellular calls to provide participants a higher likelihood 
of completing calls during periods of severe network congestion. Key 
Federal Reserve, CHIPS, and SWIFT staff currently participate in the 
pilot WPS program being conducted in the Washington, DC and New York 
City metropolitan areas. The program should move to full nationwide 
rollout by late 2003.
    The Board has adopted criteria for GETS sponsorship that are 
analogous to its TSP sponsorship criteria. Unlike the TSP program, 
where the Board sponsors specific leased-line circuits, in the GETS 
program the Board sponsors individuals in eligible organizations who 
play critical roles in the operation of the

[[Page 72959]]

organization's payment services, business continuity, or crisis 
management structure. Unless another federal agency has primary 
responsibility for sponsoring the organization, the Board will sponsor 
for the GETS program key individuals in organizations whose circuits 
are eligible for TSP sponsorship as described above.\5,6\ Once it 
reaches full-production status, the Board plans to sponsor individuals 
in eligible organizations for the WPS program using the same criteria 
it uses for GETS sponsorship.
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    \5\ An organization's eligibility for TSP status is based on 
criteria applied to determine a specific circuit's support of an NS/
EP service, while eligibility for the GETS and WPS programs is based 
on criteria applied to the organization's overall NS/EP role.
    \6\ The Board's sponsorship criteria for the GETS program 
implements the policy recently adopted by FBIIC. Organizations 
should seek sponsorship from their primary regulatory agency. A copy 
of the FBIIC GETS policy and the application for organizations 
seeking Board sponsorship for GETS are included as an appendix to 
this notice.
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    The TSP and GETS programs have proven to be very valuable, 
particularly in the days following the September 11 attacks. During 
this period, the Board used the TSP program to provision eighty-four 
circuits to support the continued transmission of critical payments-
related data. Use of the GETS program increased the likelihood of 
completing calls over the public switched network when there was 
significant congestion of the telecommunications network.

III. Confidentiality of NS/EP Information

    The Board believes that information provided to acquire NS/EP 
telecommunication service designations and information included in 
subsequent reports will be, in most cases, proprietary. Applicants for 
NS/EP services may be required to provide information about individuals 
critical to their business continuity and crisis management, including 
telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and operations center addresses. 
In addition, applicants for TSP designation may be required to describe 
the topology of their payments network and disaster-recovery 
capabilities and may be required to identify telecommunication service 
providers and the unique circuit identifiers. Because of the sensitive 
nature of this information, the Board will generally consider 
information related to NS/EP services exempt from the Freedom of 
Information Act under exemption 4 to protect both the interests of 
commercial entities that submit proprietary information to the 
government and the interests of the government in receiving continued 
access to such data (5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4)).

IV. Revocation of NS/EP Eligibility

    Organizations whose circuits or employees are sponsored for NS/EP 
status must abide by NCS regulations governing each particular service 
and must keep accurate records and monitor for fraud or abuse. The 
Board may periodically revalidate the eligibility of the circuits or 
employees to continue their participation in NCS programs. The Board 
reserves the right, after consultation with the primary regulatory 
agency (if applicable), to cancel its sponsorship of any circuit or 
employee if the organization is not fulfilling the necessary 
requirements. The Board may also cancel sponsorship if it changes its 
sponsorship policies and the circuit or employee is no longer 
qualified.

V. Telecommunications Service Priority

    The Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) program was developed 
to ensure priority treatment for the nation's most important 
telecommunication services, services supporting either national 
security or emergency preparedness (NS/EP) missions. Following 
disasters, telecommunications service vendors may become overwhelmed 
with requests for new services and requirements to restore existing 
services. The TSP program authorizes and requires service vendors to 
provision and restore TSP assigned services prior to non-TSP services 
and provides vendors with legal protection for giving preferential 
treatment to NS/EP users over non-NS/EP users.
    The TSP program has two components: (1) Expedited restoration of 
disrupted telecommunication service and (2) expedited provision of new 
telecommunication services. A restoration priority is applied to new or 
existing telecommunication services to ensure their restoration before 
any non-TSP services. Priority restoration is necessary for a TSP 
service because interruptions may have a serious adverse effect on the 
supported NS/EP function. TSP restoration priorities must be requested 
and assigned before a service outage occurs. In the event of a 
telecommunication disruption, carriers are obligated to restore TSP-
designated circuits according to their priority and preempt, if 
necessary, any other restoration agreement for non-TSP circuits. As a 
matter of general practice, telecommunication service vendors restore 
existing TSP services before provisioning new TSP services. A 
provisioning priority is obtained to facilitate priority installation 
of new telecommunication services. Provisioning on a priority basis 
becomes necessary when a service user has an urgent need for a new NS/
EP service that must be installed immediately, such as relocating to or 
establishing new facilities. Telecommunication service providers assess 
recurring monthly charges on circuits assigned TSP and a surcharge for 
providing new service.
    TSP status can only be assigned to leased point-to-point circuits, 
including circuits that are leased between specific endpoints (such as 
between locations within a sponsored network) and ``last mile'' access 
circuits between a telecommunications central office switch and a 
sponsored network or customer location (such as data switch or PBX 
trunk lines). TSP status cannot be applied to switched services, such 
as voice or frame relay. TSP status should be limited to the minimum 
number of telecommunication circuits necessary to support an NS/EP 
function. TSP is invoked only as a last resort; therefore, 
telecommunication services covered by TSP should already have a high 
level of disaster-recovery and contingency capability.
    In addition to the eligibility criteria for NS/EP program 
sponsorship described in section II, the following additional 
conditions will be applied for TSP sponsorship: (1) The organization 
seeking TSP sponsorship must clearly delineate its network and the 
endpoints of each access circuit; (2) network backbone circuits and the 
access circuits must be subject to adequate contingency backup; and (3) 
the organization must provide the Board with the opportunity to verify 
continuing TSP eligibility for sponsored circuits.
    The party that leases the circuit is responsible for completing the 
application for TSP sponsorship.\7\ An organization requesting 
sponsorship for TSP restoration of existing circuits must complete form 
SF-315, ``TSP Request for Service Users,'' for each circuit for which 
TSP status is sought. This form is described and included in the NCS 
Web site at www.ncs.gov. Applications for TSP sponsorship may be sent 
to the assistant director, Information Technology, Division of Reserve 
Bank Operations and Payment Systems, Board of Governors of the Federal 
Reserve System, Washington, DC 20551. Applications that warrant TSP 
status will be forwarded to the Office of the Manager NCS, which is 
responsible for

[[Page 72960]]

making TSP assignments. Any applicants determined to be ineligible 
would be informed of the decision.
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    \7\ The Federal Reserve Banks are responsible for requesting 
sponsorship of eligible leased-line access circuits connecting 
institutions to Fedwire and other Federal Reserve services.
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    The Board can invoke TSP to provision new telecommunication 
services on an as-needed basis as a result of emergencies or disasters 
warranting extraordinary action. The Board will consider requests from 
sponsored organizations to provision new service under TSP using the 
same sponsorship criteria adopted for the sponsorship of TSP 
restoration services. Board staff will submit form SF-315, ``TSP 
Request for Service Users,'' to the NCS for each circuit eligible for 
provisioning under TSP. The Board does not consider the emergency 
provision of new services to be an appropriate substitute for adequate 
network contingency-planning measures.

A. Reconciliation of TSP Information

    NCS requires that telecommunication service providers maintain an 
accurate inventory of circuits that are assigned TSP status and 
reconcile this inventory against NCS records annually. Reconciliation 
is necessary to ensure that the user, service provider, and NCS 
maintain accurate TSP information in the event that a disaster or 
emergency requires the restoration of NS/EP telecommunication services. 
As a sponsoring organization and program administrator on behalf of 
participating FBIIC members, the Board must maintain accurate records 
of the assignment and disposition of TSP codes provided to sponsored 
payments system participants. Organizations receiving TSP assignments 
from the Board will be required to (1) provide information to the 
assistant director, Information Technology, Division of Reserve Bank 
Operations and Payment Systems, pertaining to the telecommunication 
carrier with identification codes for each circuit receiving a TSP 
assignment, (2) notify the assistant director of any engineering 
changes affecting TSP assigned circuits, and (3) notify the assistant 
director of any TSP codes that should be revoked. The Board may 
periodically review records pertaining to TSP-sponsored circuits and 
work with the sponsored organization to resolve any discrepancies 
identified in TSP service information. Sponsored organizations are 
responsible for maintaining current TSP records.

B. Costs of TSP status

    Telecommunication carrier tariffs for providing TSP are filed with 
the FCC and state regulatory agencies. The tariffs permit carriers to 
assess a one-time charge and a monthly charge for each circuit assigned 
a TSP restoration authorization code. In the event new service is 
provisioned under TSP, carriers can apply a surcharge to the normal 
installation charges for each telecommunication service ordered. 
Finally, telecommunication carriers can assess a penalty to TSP 
customers for reporting an erroneous outage on a TSP circuit that is 
traced to the customer's premise equipment.
    The TSP tariffs are cost-based and are not uniform between states 
or carriers. Tariffs are charged for Local Access and Transport Area 
(LATA) and inter-exchange TSP services. A single carrier generally 
collects TSP charges for all portions of the end-to-end service. TSP 
restoration assignment involves a one-time ``set-up'' charge and an 
ongoing monthly charge. For example, the one-time charge for assigning 
TSP currently ranges from $15 to $360 and ongoing monthly charges range 
from $.90 to $7.50 by LATA. TSP restoration charges for an inter-
exchange circuit include LATA charges for each end of the circuit and 
currently incur an additional one-time charge of $235 and a recurring 
monthly charge of $9.00 for the inter-exchange portion of the 
circuit.\8\ Under the TSP tariff, surcharges for the emergency 
provision of new service currently range from $50 to $200 for endpoint 
access circuits, depending on the LATA, and $400 for the inter-exchange 
portion of a circuit. The cost for initiating a service call resulting 
from an erroneous report of an outage on a TSP circuit is based on time 
and material charges.
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    \8\ For example, the cost of TSP restoration priority on an 
intra-LATA Fedwire access circuit in Philadelphia would include a 
one-time charge of $47.72 and monthly charges of $1.34. TSP 
restoration priority on an inter-LATA circuit from a Philadelphia 
endpoint to a Los Angeles endpoint would include the costs 
referenced above as well as an additional one-time charge of $358.46 
and monthly charges of $5.20 for the Los Angeles LATA access portion 
of the circuit as well as an additional $235 one-time charge and 
monthly charges of $9.00 for the inter-exchange portion of the 
circuit.
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    The costs associated with TSP status for leased Federal Reserve 
owned access circuits used for priced services will be recovered 
through the electronic access fees charged to depository 
institutions.\9\ The costs associated with TSP assignments for backbone 
circuits used for eligible services are distributed to the services and 
activities that use these services, and in the case of priced services, 
are recovered through the fees assessed for that service. The 
incremental costs associated with TSP status have not significantly 
affected Federal Reserve fees.
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    \9\ Depository institutions that use their access circuits 
solely for non-priced services are not assessed electronic 
connection fees and are not charged for TSP.
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    Private-sector organizations that lease circuits that are granted 
TSP status must bear the cost of all tariffs for TSP. In addition, the 
Federal Reserve will not reimburse any costs incurred by the sponsored 
organization for improvements to network facilities necessary to comply 
with NCS standards.

VI. Government Emergency Telecommunications Service

    Under the GETS program, selected critical employees of eligible 
organizations are assigned a card and corresponding PIN, which they can 
use to obtain priority access to the public switched network.\10\ The 
Federal Reserve will consider requests for GETS sponsorship for 
critical employees of organizations for which the Federal Reserve is 
the primary supervisor. Federal Reserve supervised organizations should 
complete the Board's Request for GETS Sponsorship form, which is 
available on the Board's Web site at http://www.federalreserve.gov/forms/getssponsorship.pdf. Other financial organizations should 
complete the GETS sponsorship form that is available on the FBIIC Web 
site at http://www.fbiic.gov and submit the completed form to their 
primary regulator. A GETS point of contact (POC) must be established 
within the requesting organization to administer cards and coordinate 
billing. The POC will have the authority to administer the GETS program 
within its organization. Once approved, the organization's information 
will be forwarded to the NCS for further processing and the issuance of 
GETS cards. Organizations whose employees obtain GETS cards are 
responsible for complying with all NCS guidelines and restrictions, 
monitoring fraudulent use, and revoking GETS cards from individuals no 
longer performing qualified activities.
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    \10\ The NCS publication ``GETS Planning Guide,'' which provides 
a detailed description of the GETS program and administrative 
procedures, is available on www.ncs.gov.
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    Sponsored organizations are responsible for all costs associated 
with GETS. While there is no subscription fee, GETS calls are currently 
billed at the rate of $0.15 per minute for calls within the United 
States, Mexico, and most of the Caribbean. International calls are 
billed at commercial rates. More information about the GETS program, 
including Frequently Asked Questions, is available on the NCS Web

[[Page 72961]]

site (http://www.ncs.gov) under Programs.

VII. Competitive Impact Analysis

    The Board conducts a competitive impact analysis when considering 
an operational, legal, or other policy change, if that change would 
have a direct and material adverse effect on the ability of other 
service providers to compete effectively with the Federal Reserve in 
providing similar services due to differing legal powers or 
constraints, or due to a dominant market position of the Federal 
Reserve deriving from such differences.\11\ Under the Board's policies 
for sponsorship for NS/EP services, the Federal Reserve Banks are 
subject to the same eligibility criteria as private-sector service 
providers; therefore, the Board does not believe that its policy 
adversely affects the ability of other service providers to compete 
effectively with Federal Reserve Banks in providing similar services.
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    \11\ These procedures are described in the Board's policy 
statement ``The Federal Reserve in the Payments System,'' as revised 
in March 1990 (55 FR 11648, March 29, 1990).
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VIII. Paperwork Reduction Act

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3506; 5 CFR part 1320 Appendix A.1), the Board reviewed the notice 
under the authority delegated to the Board by the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB).
    This notice announces several collections of information for the 
TSP and GETS programs. An organization requesting Board sponsorship for 
TSP restoration of existing circuits must complete and submit 
application SF-315. An organization that received TSP assignments 
pursuant to Board sponsorship is subsequently required to notify Board 
staff of certain information affecting the TSP assignments. An 
organization requesting GETS sponsorship must complete and submit the 
GETS forms. To help ease the reporting burden, organizations can obtain 
copies of the TSP and GETS forms from the NCS and Board web sites.
    The NCS is responsible for determining the paperwork burden 
associated with these collections of information. The NCS will submit 
all required information to OMB in compliance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act.
    The Federal Reserve has a continuing interest in the public's 
opinions of our collections of information. At any time, comments 
regarding any aspect of these collections of information may be sent 
to: Secretary, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 20th 
and C Streets, NW., Washington, DC 20551; and to the Office of 
Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (NCS), Washington, 
DC 20503.

    By order of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve 
System, December 3, 2002.
Jennifer J. Johnson,
Secretary of the Board.

Appendix

Financial and Banking Information Infrastructure Committee

Sponsorship of Priority Telecommunications Access for Private Sector 
Entities Through the National Communications System Government 
Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS).

    The National Communications System (NCS) was established in 1963 
to provide priority communications support to critical government 
functions during emergencies. In 1984 the National Security and 
Emergency Preparedness (NS/EP) capabilities of NCS were broadened 
and an interagency group (currently 22 federal departments and 
agencies) was formed to help coordinate and plan NS/EP services. The 
NCS has developed a number of priority telecommunications services 
that are also available to private sector entities through 
sponsorship by an NCS member department or agency. The events of 
September 11, 2001, put a new focus on the importance of these 
programs to the nation and to the financial sector.
    In order to provide guidance to financial organizations seeking 
sponsorship for NCS services, the Financial and Banking Information 
Infrastructure Committee (FBIIC)\12\ is developing a series of 
policies on the sponsorship of priority telecommunications access 
for private sector entities through the NCS. The goal of the 
policies is twofold: first, to make financial organizations aware of 
NCS programs and, second, to provide a consistent set of guidance 
regarding qualification criteria and the appropriate process for 
organizations that want to gain access to the programs.
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    \12\ The Financial and Banking Information Infrastructure 
Committee (FBIIC) is a standing committee of the President's 
Critical Infrastructure Protection Board, and is charged with 
coordinating federal and state financial regulatory efforts to 
improve the reliability and security of the U.S. financial system. 
Treasury's Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions chairs the 
committee. Members of the FBIIC include representatives of the 
Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Conference of State Bank 
Supervisors, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal 
Reserve Board, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, 
the National Credit Union Administration, the Office of the 
Comptroller of the Currency, the Office of Federal Housing 
Enterprise Oversight, the Offices of Homeland and Cyberspace 
Security, the Office of Thrift Supervision, and the Securities and 
Exchange Commission.
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    As a first step, the FBIIC has established this policy and 
process to sponsor qualifying financial sector institutions for 
Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS).\13\ GETS is 
designed to help assure communication between key public and private 
sector personnel during times of crisis.
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    \13\ It is anticipated that subsequent policies will address 
other NCS programs, for example, Telecommunications Service Priority 
(TSP) and Wireless Priority Service (WPS).
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    GETS is a telecommunications voice service that supports 
Federal, State, and local government; industry; and non-profit 
organizations in performing their NS/EP missions by providing 
emergency access and priority processing for voice communications 
services in the local and long-distance segments of the Public 
Switched Network (PSN). GETS is intended to be used in an emergency 
or crisis situation when heavy usage of the PSN by organizations and 
the public decreases the probability of completing a call. Private 
sector organizations that need to participate in the GETS program 
must be sponsored by an NCS member. While there is no subscription 
fee, GETS calls are billed at the rate of $0.15 per minute for calls 
within the United States, Mexico, and most of the Caribbean. 
International calls are billed at commercial rates. More information 
about the GETS program, including Frequently Asked Questions, is 
available on the NCS Web site (http://www.ncs.gov/) under Programs.
    There are five broad categories that serve as guidelines for 
determining who may qualify as a GETS user: (1) National Security 
Leadership, (2) National Security Posture and U.S. Population Attack 
Warning, (3) Public Health, Safety, and Maintenance of Law and 
Order, (4) Public Welfare and Maintenance of National Economic 
Posture and (5) Disaster Recovery. The FBIIC agencies have 
determined that to qualify for GETS sponsorship, organizations must 
support the performance of NS/EP functions necessary to maintain the 
national economic posture during any national or regional emergency. 
In particular, the FBIIC agencies view maintenance of the national 
economic posture as the minimization of systemic disruption to the 
financial system directly related to the operation of critical 
financial markets and related essential services and systems.
    Essential services and systems are those that have no easily 
accessible substitute and that are necessary to support one of three 
critical NS/EP functions in key financial markets and payment 
mechanisms: Necessary crisis response and coordination activities; 
resumption and maintenance of economic activity; and the orderly 
completion of outstanding financial transactions and necessary 
offsetting transactions. For example, essential services and systems 
include: critical funds transfers systems (wholesale/large-value 
payment systems), securities and derivatives clearing and settlement 
systems, supporting communication systems and service providers, and 
key financial market trading systems and exchanges.
    Private sector financial organizations and their service 
providers may qualify for GETS sponsorship if they play a 
significant role in one or more financial markets or essential

[[Page 72962]]

services or systems. Factors which the appropriate FBIIC member 
agency will consider in determining whether individual organizations 
play a significant role in an essential market, service or system 
include consideration of whether the organization: (1) Is a 
registered securities or futures exchange, self-regulatory 
organization, registered securities clearing agency/depository and 
futures clearinghouse, and their critical service providers and 
utilities; (2) acts as market utility for effecting payments or 
clearance and settlement of transactions; (3) processes a large 
aggregate value of daily payments; (4) provides critical services or 
systems to financial institutions; (5) has a national or large 
regional presence in one or more product lines; or (6) demonstrates 
other facts or circumstances that suggest facilitating the 
organization's access to the GETS priority service in times of 
national emergency would serve to maintain the national economic 
posture.
    Organizations seeking GETS sponsorship should complete the 
attached FBIIC Request for GETS Sponsorship and submit it to their 
primary financial regulator. Requesting organizations must support 
their request for sponsorship under the general NS/EP criteria 
stated above.
    The FBIIC agencies may contact those organizations that clearly 
qualify under these criteria and inform them of the availability of 
GETS Sponsorship.\14\
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    \14\ In its role as a payments system operator, the Federal 
Reserve has traditionally sponsored significant participants in the 
payments system for NCS services. The Federal Reserve therefore 
intends to contact those organizations that clearly qualify under 
the criteria and ask them to provide the names of individuals who 
should receive GETS cards. The Federal Reserve will notify the other 
FBIIC agencies of institutions they have contacted.
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    Individuals being nominated for GETS usage should be limited to 
those individuals who play critical roles in the organization's 
business continuity or crisis response management structure.

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Request for GETS Sponsorship

    Upon reviewing the Government Emergency Telecommunications 
Service (GETS) information provided and based on our emergency 
telecommunications requirements, our organization requests Financial 
and Banking Information Infrastructure Committee sponsorship to the 
GETS program for the following individual(s):

     Name of Organization: ________________________________________
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Name and Title of Individual      Critical Role          Citizenship
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1.......................................................................
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2.......................................................................
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3.......................................................................
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4.......................................................................
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5.......................................................................
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6.......................................................................
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7.......................................................................
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8.......................................................................
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9.......................................................................
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10..........................
-----------------------------
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    We acknowledge that our organization:
    (1) May not reference the GETS card in our marketing activities 
or for other competitive advantage purposes.
    (2) Must establish a GETS Point of Contact (POC) for 
administering GETS and to ensure accountability for each card issued 
to it.
    (3) Will withdraw the GETS card from any individual that no 
longer fulfills the designated role or function that meets the 
criteria.
    (4) Must establish a billing contact for payment of bills for 
GETS usage. We understand that upon approval of this request, we 
will be provided a letter notifying us of the sponsorship and 
requesting that we establish a Billing Account with a Program 
Designator Code (PDC) for billing and payment of our GETS calls.\15\
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    \15\ While there is no subscription fee, GETS calls are billed 
at the rate of $0.15 per minute for calls within the United States, 
Mexico, and most of the Caribbean. International calls are billed at 
commercial rates.
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    We further understand that cards issued under this sponsorship 
program may be cancelled at the discretion of the National 
Communications System or the Federal Reserve Board.

GETS Point of Contact

Name:------------------------------------------------------------------
Title:-----------------------------------------------------------------
Mail Address:----------------------------------------------------------
Phone:-----------------------------------------------------------------
FAX:-------------------------------------------------------------------
E-Mail:----------------------------------------------------------------

    Please fax this request to (202) 872-7574 to the attention of 
Edna Jacobs.
    *Please note that other FBIIC agencies members have a 
sponsorship application for their institutions.

[FR Doc. 02-30969 Filed 12-6-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6210-01-P