Statement of Commissioner Rosenworcel on Derecho Report

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Released: January 10 2013

NEWS

News Media Information 202 / 418-0500

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Federal Communications Commission

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This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.
See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:

January 10, 2013
David Goldman (202) 418-2400
Email: david.goldman@fcc.gov [5]

STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER JESSICA ROSENWORCEL

ON PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU REPORT

“IMPACT OF THE JUNE 2012 DERECHO ON COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS

AND SERVICES”

“This past July I asked that the Commission investigate the communications failures spanning from
the Mid-Atlantic to the Midwest in the wake of the Derecho. Too many of us were left without
communications and could not reach 9-1-1. That is simply unacceptable. We have a duty to find
out what went wrong and to apply those lessons to make our networks more resilient.
“The report released today by the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau details the serious
service breakdowns both during and after the storm that the staff uncovered in our networks.
Tragically, many of these were avoidable interruptions involving a lack of back-up power to central
offices or failures of the service providers’ monitoring systems. As a result of the staff’s efforts,
some of these specific problems have already been corrected. But our work is not done. We must
stay vigilant and make sure that what happened resulting from the Derecho does not happen in other
parts of the country. Carriers should test their networks and ensure that plans are in place in case of
an emergency. It is time for an honest accounting of the resiliency of our nation’s network
infrastructure in the wireless and digital age. Today’s report is a good first step.”
– FCC –
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