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STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER JONATHAN S. ADELSTEIN
Re: Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on
Communications Networks; Notice of Proposed Rulemaking; EB Docket No.
06-119
I want to extend my deepest thanks to the members of the Independent Panel
Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina for investing so much of their
time and effort to draw out lessons from this disaster and to better
prepare our communities for the future. The release of their Report brings
back memories of the devastation wrought by the storm and its aftermath,
and of the heroic and continuing efforts of those communities to regroup
and rebuild.
Shortly after the storm, I had an opportunity to witness first hand some
of the widespread destruction and personal loss in the Gulf Coast, which
was far worse than I could have ever imagined. More importantly, I also
was able to meet and talk with communications workers, who labored around
the clock to restore connectivity to the Gulf Coast, often at great
personal sacrifice. It was humbling to see Americans act so selflessly
when others are in need, particularly when so many were themselves
suffering the loss of homes, communities, or loved ones. To all of these
citizens, we owe an honest assessment of our strengths, weaknesses, and
our commitment to preparedness.
Our experience with Hurricane Katrina demonstrates that the role of
communications is essential during emergencies, whether citizens are
trying to find out what is happening with their families, or emergency
personnel are responding to an urgent situation. This Report confirms that
our nation's communications systems were put to the test, with
unfortunately mixed results. I welcome the coming public dialogue on the
Independent Panel's recommendations, and look forward to working with my
colleagues and the broader community to improve our preparedness and
response.
This Report also highlights how critical it is that the Commission
provides the best leadership possible to ensure that communications are
fully operational during the most serious events. It can play a key role
in improving our nation's disaster preparedness, network reliability, and
communications among first responders. As the Report suggests, the
Commission must also take the lead in coordinating with state and local
governments in advance of future disasters and in working with other
federal agencies to ensure that credentialing procedures and other
requirements are developed in advance to ensure access by communications
workers to affected areas post-disaster.
At the same time, this Report highlights the importance of advance
planning and provides important recommendations on how we can ready
ourselves before disaster strikes. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina,
the Commission received high marks for ensuring that it was responsive in
the wake of these tragedies. But with the first tropical storm of 2006
already hitting the Gulf Coast, we must move more quickly to better
position ourselves for the inevitable next challenges. So I wholeheartedly
support the simultaneous release of our NPRM to better allow us to move
promptly forward on the important Panel recommendations.
Finally, I want to thank Chairman Martin for convening this group and
Nancy Victory for stepping forward in leading the panel. A disaster like
this demonstrates how important it is that we all work together in times
of crisis. Efforts like this are essential to achieve the continual
improvement necessary to protect ourselves in the event of future
disasters, be they natural or man-made. Thank you again for all of your
effort and for your commitment to the hard work ahead.
Federal Communications Commission FCC 06-83