FCC: Emergency phone systems worked as planned after quake

Although wireless networks were jammed following last week’s East Coast earthquake, there were no reports of problems with public safety communications, according to a preliminary assessment by the Federal Communications Commission.

Public safety agencies have their own dedicated networks, so the wave of calls that temporarily crippled commercial networks did not affect first responders’ communications.

{mosads}911 calls, however, operate on commercial networks, so people who tried to report emergencies during the cell outage likely were unable to do so.

Although the problem of network congestion does not affect public safety agencies, some lawmakers argue that the “D Block” of spectrum should be set aside for a nationwide public safety network.

During the Sept. 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina, first responders from different jurisdictions were unable to communicate because they were using different radio systems. The 9/11 Commission Report highlighted the communication breakdown, and the FCC’s National Broadband Plan recommended the creation of a nationwide interoperable network for first responders.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, has fought to pass a bill creating a public safety network before the 10th anniversary of the attacks next month. He said the earthquake should rouse lawmakers to action.

“Today’s earthquake is yet one more wake-up call that first responders need a unified, dedicated communications system that is interoperable and will work in times of emergency — like today, when cellphone coverage is over-utilized and overwhelmed,” Rockefeller spokesman Vince Morris said Tuesday. “When Congress returns in September, it’s critical they immediately take up consideration of Senator Rockefeller’s spectrum bill, because nothing’s more important than the public’s safety.”
 
Although the FCC had not finished its assessment of the post-earthquake cell outage by Friday, the agency was focusing much of its attention on preparing for possible communication disruptions as a result of Hurricane Irene, which was bearing down on the East Coast.

On Friday, the agency activated its Disaster Information Reporting System, which allows communication providers to report outages during crises.