[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 147 (Tuesday, August 1, 2006)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 43406-43407]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-12447]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Parts 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18, 20, 22, 24, 25, 
27, 52, 53, 54, 63, 64, 68, 73, 74, 76, 78, 79, 90, 95, 97 and 101

[EB Docket No. 06-119; DA 06-1524]


Recommendations of the Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of 
Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule; comments requested.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal Communications Commission 
(Commission) reminds parties about the comment cycle applicable to the 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) seeking comment on the 
recommendations of the Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of 
Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks (Independent Panel). In 
addition, the Commission requests that, in addressing the issues raised 
in the NPRM, parties address the applicability of the Panel's 
recommendations to all types of natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes, 
tornados, hurricanes, forest fires) as well as other types of incidents 
(e.g., terrorist attacks, flu pandemic, industrial accidents, etc.). 
Parties should also discuss whether the Panel's recommendations are 
broad enough to take into account the diverse topography of our Nation, 
the susceptibility of a region to a particular type of disaster, and 
the multitude of

[[Page 43407]]

communications capabilities a region may possess.

DATES: Comments are due on or before August 7, 2006 and reply comments 
are due on or before August 21, 2006. Written comments on the Paperwork 
Reduction Act proposed information collection requirements set forth in 
the NPRM [71 FR 38564, 38565, July 7, 2006] must be submitted by the 
public, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and other interested 
parties on or before September 5, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Send comments and reply comments to the Office of the 
Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, SW., 
Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554. You may submit comments, identified 
by EB Docket No. 06-119, by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Federal Communications Commission's Web site: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/. Following the instructions for submitting 
comments.
     People with Disabilities: Contact the FCC to request 
reasonable accommodations (accessible format documents, sign language 
interpreters, CART, etc.) by e-mail; [email protected] or phone: 202-418-
0530 or TTY: 202-418-0432.
    In addition to filing with the Secretary, a copy of any comments on 
the Paperwork Reduction Act information collection requirements 
contained in the NPRM [71 FR at 38565, July 7, 2006] should be 
submitted to Judith B. Herman, Federal Communications Commission, Room 
1-B441, 445 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554, or via the Internet 
to [email protected], and to Kristy L. LaLonde, OMB Desk Officer, Room 10234, 
NEOB, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, via the Internet to 
[email protected] or fax at 202-395-5167.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa M. Fowlkes, Assistant Bureau 
Chief, Enforcement Bureau, at (202) 418-7452. For additional 
information concerning the Paperwork Reduction Act information 
collection requirements contained in the NPRM [71 FR at 38565, July 7, 
2006], contact Judith B. Herman at (202) 418-0214 or via the Internet 
at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Public 
Notice in EB Docket No. 06-119, DA 06-1524 released July 26, 2006. The 
complete text of this document, as well as a complete text of the NPRM 
is available for inspection and copying during normal business hours in 
the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW., 
Room CY-A257, Washington, DC 20554. This document may also be purchased 
from the Commission's duplicating contractor Best Copy and Printing, 
Inc., Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 
20554, telephone (800) 378-3160 or (202) 488-5300, facsimile (202) 488-
5563, or via e-mail at [email protected]. It is also available on the 
Commission's Web site at http://www.fcc.gov. The Initial Regulatory 
Flexibility Analysis as well as proposed information collection 
requirements were set forth in the NPRM [71 FR at 38565, 38568-38573, 
July 7, 2006].

Synopsis of the Public Notice

    In January 2006, Chairman Kevin J. Martin established the 
Independent Panel pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 
Public Law 92-463, as amended. The mission of the Independent Panel was 
to review the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the telecommunications and 
media infrastructure in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina and 
make recommendations to the Commission. On June 12, 2006, the 
Independent Panel submitted its Report to the Commission. On June 19, 
2006, the Commission issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking initiating 
a comprehensive rulemaking to address and implement the recommendations 
presented by the Independent Panel. [71 FR 38564, July 7, 2006]
    In the NPRM, the Commission sought comment on what actions it can 
take to address the Independent Panel's recommendations which were 
categorized into four areas: (1) Pre-positioning the communications 
industry and the government for disasters in order to achieve greater 
network reliability and resiliency; (2) improving recovery coordination 
to address existing shortcomings and to maximize the use of existing 
resources; (3) improving the operability or interoperability of public 
safety and 911 communications in times of crisis; and (4) improving 
communication of emergency information to the public. As the Commission 
stated in the Notice, its goal in this proceeding is to take the 
lessons learned from this disaster and build upon them to promote more 
effective, efficient response and recovery efforts, as well as a 
heightened readiness and preparedness in the future. The Commission 
also stated that it seeks comment whether it should rely on voluntary 
consensus recommendations, as advocated by the Independent Panel, or 
whether it should rely on other measures for enhancing readiness and 
promoting more effective response efforts.
    In light of the Commission's comprehensive examination into these 
areas, we request that parties filing comments in this proceeding 
address the applicability of the Independent Panel's recommendations to 
all types of disasters. Specifically, parties should address not only 
the applicability of the Independent Panel's recommendations to areas 
of the country subject to hurricanes, but to areas prone to other types 
of disasters. Would other types of disasters warrant modifications or 
other changes to the Independent Panel's recommendations? For example, 
would the characteristics of earthquakes, floods, forest fires, or 
other natural disasters require modifications to the Independent 
Panel's recommendations? In addition, we request that parties filing 
comments discuss the impact of the country's diverse topography on the 
Independent Panel's recommendations. Would a region's topography 
warrant modifications or other changes to the Independent Panel's 
recommendations? If additional steps are warranted to account for 
unique topography, what actions can the Commission take to improve 
network resiliency and reliability, recovery coordination, first 
responder communications and emergency communications to the public in 
those areas? Finally, different regions may have different 
communications capabilities. For example, a metropolitan urban area may 
have greater and diverse communications capabilities than a rural, 
mountainous region. Would the availability of different communications 
capabilities in a region affect the Independent Panel's 
recommendations? If so, what actions should be taken in this regard?
    Finally, comments in this proceeding are due on or before August 7, 
2006 and reply comments are due on or before August 21, 2006.

Federal Communications Commission
Kris Anne Monteith,
Chief, Enforcement Bureau.
 [FR Doc. E6-12447 Filed 7-31-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P