|
NEW LAW FORMALLY MAKES AMATEUR RADIO PART OF EMERGENCY
COMMUNICATIONS COMMUNITY
A section of the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) 2007 Appropriations Act, HR 5441 <http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.05441:>,
formally includes Amateur Radio operators as a part of the emergency
communications community. Congress approved the measure before
adjourning for its pre-election break. President George W. Bush
signed the bill into law October 4.
Amateur Radio is included within the legislation's Subtitle D,
Section 671, known as the "21st Century Emergency Communications
Act." Radio amateurs are among the entities with which a Regional
Emergency Communications Coordination Working Group (RECC Working
Group) must coordinate its activities. Included within the DHS's
Office of Emergency Communications -- which the measure also creates
-- RECC Working Groups attached to each regional DHS office will
advise federal and state homeland security officials. The final
version of the legislation incorporated language from both House and
Senate bills and was hammered out in a conference committee.
An earlier version of the 21st Century Emergency Communications Act,
HR 5852, included Amateur Radio operators as members of the RECC
Working Groups.
In addition to Amateur Radio operators, RECC Working Groups also
will coordinate with communications equipment manufacturers and
vendors -- including broadband data service providers, local
exchange carriers, local broadcast media, wireless carriers,
satellite communications services, cable operators, hospitals,
public utility services, emergency evacuation transit services,
ambulance services, and representatives from other private sector
entities and nongovernmental organizations.
The RECC Working Groups will assess the survivability,
sustainability and interoperability of local emergency communication
systems to meet the goals of the National Emergency Communications
Report. That report would recommend how the US could "accelerate the
deployment of interoperable emergency communications nationwide."
They also will coordinate the establishment of "effective
multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency emergency communications
networks" that could be brought into play in an emergency or
disaster.
In light of the new legislation, the ARRL plans to follow up to
determine how it can interact with the DHS and its Office of
Emergency Communications. |
