An independent panel to study the effects of Hurricane Katrina on
communications networks, convened by the U.S. Federal
Communications Commission (FCC), met for the first time
Monday.
By June 15, the Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane
Katrina on Communications Networks will issue recommendations to
the FCC on improving disaster preparedness, network reliability and
communications among first responders. Public safety agencies from
affected areas in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana are
represented on the panel, along with carriers, satellite providers,
equipment vendors, broadcasters, a cable provider and others,
according to an FCC advisory.
The hurricane, which devastated much of New Orleans and a broad
swath of the U.S. Gulf Coast in August, caused widespread damage to
multiple communications networks, which hindered relief efforts.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin estimated last September that 3 million
people lost phone service and more than 1,000 wireless towers were
knocked down in the storm and subsequent flooding, while some
carriers predicted hundreds of millions in costs and months of
restoration work.
The panel that met Monday in Washington, D.C., includes William
Smith, chief technology officer of BellSouth Corp., the regional
incumbent carrier, as well as officials from Sprint Nextel Corp.,
Cingular Wireless LLC, cable operator Cox Communications Inc. and
Motorola Inc., a major provider of public-safety radios and cell
phones. Also represented is Part-15.org, a group that includes many
wireless Internet service providers that use unlicensed radio
spectrum. Late last year, New Orleans began rolling out a free
municipal Wi-Fi mesh network, in part to establish communications
sooner than wired networks could be fully restored.
At the opening meeting Monday, which was open to the public, the
group was set to discuss its committee structure and a tentative
timeline for producing its recommendations.
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