A handful of national carriers yesterday (April 27) teamed with Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and CTIA, to create the “Wireless Network Resiliency Cooperative Framework” to share information and advance wireless network resiliency before, during and after disasters and emergencies.
The deal was inspired by Superstorm Sandy, which in the fall of 2012 slammed into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast coastlines, causing a major breakdown of telecommunications networks, including cellular and home telephones, television and Internet services. This created a dangerous barrier to emergency response and recovery for residents and towns.
CTIA said the agreement is the product of five months of discussions between Pallone, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and CTIA. The talks began after Pallone introduced the Securing Access to Networks in Disasters Act – or the SANDy Act, aimed at improving the resiliency of the nation’s communications networks during disasters and emergencies in late 2015.
The agreement, according to CTIA, provides for reasonable arrangements for roaming during disasters when technically feasible; fosters mutual aid during emergencies; enhances local governments’ preparedness and restoration; increases consumer readiness and preparation; and improves public awareness and stakeholder communications on service and restoration status by providing public information on actual outages for given disasters or emergencies.
“This agreement will save lives during major emergencies like Superstorm Sandy,” said Pallone. “I commend CTIA and the FCC for working with me to craft a comprehensive agreement that ensures consumers have access to wireless service during an emergency even if their wireless network goes down.”
“I am pleased that CTIA and the wireless providers created a set of common-sense solutions to improve coordination and network recovery during disasters and emergencies. This framework will benefit consumers and help limit the impact of future disasters, while avoiding unworkable and unnecessary mandates,” said CTIA President and CEO Meredith Attwell Baker.
Pallone’s SANDy Act will be voted on by the Energy and Commerce Committee this week.
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