FCC to Seek Comments on Katrina Panel Recommendations:

The FCC will invite public comments in response to recommendations presented this month by the Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks. A Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-06-83A1.pdf in EB Docket 06-119, released this week, contains wide-ranging proposals and considerations that could involve FCC rule or administrative changes, a few of which deal with the Amateur Service.

"The devastation of Hurricane Katrina highlighted the importance of telecommunications and media to our daily lives, and our dependency on our national communications infrastructure," remarked FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin. "With this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, we are asking for comments and suggestions from the public on how to best address and implement the Independent Panel's recommendations."

The Independent Panel's report points out that Amateur Radio stations were among those segments of the communications infrastructure adversely affected by Hurricane Katrina.

"Equipment was damaged or lost due to the storm, and trained amateurs were difficult to find in the immediate aftermath," the report said. "However, once called into help, Amateur Radio operators volunteered to support many agencies, such as FEMA, the National Weather Service, Hurricane Watch [Net] and the American Red Cross."

The Independent Panel report said Amateur Radio volunteers provided communication in many locations where no other means of communicating existed. Hams also provided other technical aid to communities affected by Hurricane Katrina, the report added. The panel recommended adopting "a proactive (rather than reactive) program for network reliability and resiliency."

ARRL Alabama Section Manager Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, addressed the Independent Panel on March 7 to note that Amateur Radio volunteers "were part of the solution" in supplementing normal emergency communication systems taken out by the storm. For 37 days following Hurricane Katrina, Sarratt headed the volunteer effort to process Amateur Radio volunteers headed to the Gulf Coast to assist recovery operations.

In its NPRM, the FCC asked if should explore amending its rules to permit automatic grants of certain types of waivers or special temporary authority (STA) in declared disaster areas. "As a condition of the waiver or STA, the FCC could require verbal or written notification to the Commission staff contemporaneously with activation or promptly after the fact," the NPRM suggested. Following last year's devastating hurricanes, the FCC issued a handful of STAs to permit licensees lacking HF privileges to operate on HF for emergency purposes. The NPRM offered these specific areas for consideration.

* Waiver of Amateur Radio and license-exempt rules, permitting transmissions necessary to meet essential communications needs.

* Waiver of application filing deadlines, something the FCC did last fall for amateurs who lived in hurricane-stricken states.

* Streamlined STA process, so parties in the affected area may simply notify the FCC in writing or orally of a need to operate in order to restore service.

Comments will be due 30 days from the date the NPRM is published in the Federal Register and may be filed via the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/.

Source:

The ARRL Letter Vol. 25, No. 25 June 23, 2006

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