CHAIRMAN PAI ANNOUNCES PROPOSAL TO ASSIST EFFORTS TO RESTORE COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS IN PUERTO RICO AND U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS. News Release. News Media Contact: Tina Pelkey at (202) 418-0536, email: Tina.Pelkey@fcc.gov OCHAP
https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-347017A1.docx
https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-347017A1.pdf
The FCC reported today that 87.9% of cell sites across Puerto Rico remain out of service in the wake of Hurricane Maria, “virtually no change from 88.3% yesterday,” it noted in its daily communications status report on the impacted areas. “All counties in Puerto Rico, except Bayamon, Guaynabo, and San Juan, have greater than 75% of their cell sites out of service. 33 (up from 27 yesterday) out of the 78 counties in Puerto Rico have 100% of their cell sites out of service,” the FCC said.
In the U.S. Virgin Islands, “67.0% (down from 68.9% yesterday) of cell sites are out of service.
100% of cell sites in St. John are still out of service,” the FCC said.
It reported that the main PSAP (public safety answering point) in Puerto Rico remains offline.
“911 calls are being sent to the other (back-up) PSAP in Puerto Rico, according to the primary service provider. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, the St. Croix 9-1-1 Call Center has been reported as completely down. FEMA has reported significant damage to the building. The St. Thomas 9-1-1 Call Center is unable to retrieve Phase I and Phase II location information for wireless callers and ANI/ALI for VoIP Callers,” it said.
As for cable system and other wireline service, the report said, “Since there are widespread power outages in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the FCC has received reports that large percentages of consumers are without either cable services or wireline service (one company had reported that 100% of its consumers are out of service due to lack of commercial power but told us yesterday that services are beginning to be restored). In Puerto Rico, there are at least 10 (same as yesterday) switches that are out of service due to either SS7 or toll isolation.”
The report also said that two TV stations in Puerto Rico are reported in the FCC’s Disaster Information Reporting System as being out of service, while another is reported as being on the air. The report said that nine radio stations in Puerto Rico reported being out of service. It said that “informal reports” indicated that one TV station and 22 radio stations were on the air in Puerto Rico. —Lynn Stanton, lynn.stanton@wolterskluwer.com
Courtesy TRDaily
The Policy and Licensing Division of the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau released an order today granting a request by the Michigan Department of Telecommunications Management and Budget for a waiver to share use of the 800 MHz Michigan Public Safety Communications System (MPSCS) with critical infrastructure Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative, Inc., and its cooperative members. The order noted that previous sharing arrangements have been approved. “Consistent with Michigan’s previous waiver requests, Michigan demonstrates that it has adequate spectrum to accommodate the planned sharing of its 800 MHz MPSCS network with the Wolverine group,” it said.
“Michigan also demonstrates that the Wolverine group will fund construction of additional infrastructure using 800 MHz Business/Industrial Land Transportation Category frequencies to mitigate its impact on the MPSCS network. The shared use will improve the ability of public safety and the Wolverine group to communicate with one another and coordinate power restoration in times of emergency.”
Courtesy TRDaily
When All Else Fails, There Is Ham Radio As I am preparing a report on the commercial and public safety communications activities during and after Harvey, Irma, and now Maria, which was the worst of the batch, I took some time to reach out to the amateur radio community to find out what they have been doing. The answer is a lot, and often! First, the Radio Relay International (RRI) organization made up of amateur radio operators who specialize in long-range communications has been busy handling health and welfare massages from the islands.
Meanwhile, the Red Cross, which has a relationship with the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL), put out a call for fifty Red Cross certified ham radio operators to travel to Puerto Rico. Tim Duffy, president of the Radio Club of America (RCA) and president of a large amateur radio supply company also played an active role. A number of hams from the United States have traveled to the islands while mainland hams have been receiving radio traffic, mostly at this point from residents who want to let their mainland family members know they are alright.
Other ham radio emergency organizations such as the Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES), the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACEs) and the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARs) have all been active in the three hurricanes and in providing local communications after the storms passed. Hams man stations at Red Cross and other shelters and assist the public safety community when asked. In the case of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, they are serving another important function, that of notifying relatives on the mainland of island residents who are safe. This type of radio traffic is sent using shortwave radios that can communicate over long distances and can be set up and used with a simple wire-type antenna strung between two trees or buildings. Read the Entire Blog Here Continue reading
More than 90% of cell sites remained out of service today in Puerto Rico, while 67% remained down in the U.S. Virgin Islands due to Hurricane Maria, the FCC reported today. “Overall, 90.3% (slightly down from 91.1% yesterday) of cell sites are out of service. All counties in Puerto Rico have greater than 75% of their cell sites out of service. 29 (down from 31 yesterday) out of the 78 counties in Puerto Rico have 100% of their cell sites out of service,” the FCC said in an outages report that uses data submitted to the Commission’s Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS). “Overall, 67.0% (slightly up from 66.0% yesterday) of cell sites are out of service. 100% (up from 66.7% yesterday) of cell sites in St. John are now out of service,” the report said of the Virgin Islands.
There was no change today concerning the operational status of public safety answering points in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. “The two PSAPs in Puerto Rico are currently functioning normally according to the primary service provider,” the report said. “In the U.S. Virgin Islands, the St. Croix 9-1-1 Call Center has been reported as completely down. FEMA has reported significant damage to the building. The St. Thomas 9-1-1 Call Center is unable to retrieve Phase I and Phase II location information for wireless callers and ANI/ALI for VoIP Callers.” Continue reading
The FCC has released a notice of inquiry adopted yesterday to examine how well 911 calls are handled by enterprise communications systems used in businesses, hotels, educational institutions, government entities, and other buildings (TR Daily, Sept. 26). Comments are due Nov. 15 and replies Dec. 15 in PS docket 17-239.
Courtesy TRDaily
The third nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) was conducted today. “The next step is for EAS participants – including broadcast television, radio, cable, satellite, and wireline video providers – to file post-test reports with the FCC. Our staff will review the data to assess how test participants performed. We will then work with FEMA and other stakeholders to identify whether any improvements are needed,” said Lisa Fowlkes, chief of the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. “We appreciate the cooperation of all stakeholders in today’s test as we work to ensure that the Emergency Alert System remains an effective means of warning the public about emergencies.”
Detailed reports are due from EAS stakeholders by Nov. 13. Stakeholders, except those in hurricane-impacted areas, have to submit forms by midnight tonight saying they received and transmitted alerts.
Courtesy TDaily
More than 90% of cell sites remained out of service today in Puerto Rico, while 66% remained down in the U.S. Virgin Islands due to Hurricane Maria, the FCC reported today. “Overall, 91.1% (virtually no change from 90.9% yesterday) of cell sites are out of service. All counties in Puerto Rico have greater than 75% of their cell sites out of service. 31 (up from 29 yesterday) out of the 78 counties in Puerto Rico have 100% of their cell sites out of service,” the FCC said in an outages report that uses data submitted to the Commission’s Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS).
There was no change today concerning the operational status of public safety answering points in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. “The two PSAPs in Puerto Rico are currently functioning normally according to the primary service provider,” the report said. “In the U.S. Virgin Islands, the St. Croix 9-1-1 Call Center has been reported as completely down. FEMA has reported significant damage to the building. The St. Thomas 9-1-1 Call Center is unable to retrieve Phase I and Phase II location information for wireless callers and ANI/ALI for VoIP Callers.”
The report still did not provide specific data on cable and wireline system outages, but it said that 18 switches, the same as yesterday, were “out of service due to either SS7 or toll isolation.” The report also said that one TV station in San Juan reported being out of service, while another said it was on the air, and it said that nine radio stations in Puerto Rico said they were down. It said that “informal reports” indicated that one TV station and 22 radio stations were on the air in Puerto Rico. Continue reading
More than 90% of cell sites remained out of service today in Puerto Rico, while more than 61% remained down in the U.S. Virgin Islands due to Hurricane Maria, the FCC reported today. “Overall, 90.9% (slightly down from 91.2% yesterday) of cell sites are out of service. All counties in Puerto Rico have greater than 75% of their cell sites out of service. 29 (down from 34 yesterday) out of the 78 counties in Puerto Rico have 100% of their cell sites out of service,” the FCC said in an outages report that uses data submitted to the Commission’s Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS).
For the Virgin Islands, “61.3% (slightly up from 60.4% yesterday) of cell sites are out of service,” the report said. Continue reading
The FCC today launched a notice of inquiry to examine how well 911 calls are handled by enterprise communications systems used in businesses, hotels, educational institutions, government entities, and other buildings. “Consumers have a right to expect that a 911 call made from anywhere in the country will be routed to the appropriate 911 call center, along with precise, accurate location and callback information so that they can be found by emergency responders,” Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Chief Lisa Fowlkes said during today’s FCC meeting. “This is no less true for 911 calls made within office buildings, educational campuses, and hotels served by enterprise-based communications systems.”
The notice of inquiry in PS docket 17-239, the FCC said, notes that there have been reports that, in some cases, enterprise communications systems may not support direct 911 dialing, route calls to the nearest 911 call center, or provide accurate location regarding the caller’s location.
“In an emergency, it shouldn’t matter whether you’re calling from your house, an outdoor park, or an office building,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement. “You should be able to reach first responders quickly, and those first responders should be given the information they need to assist you.”
Among the aims of the notice of inquiry, the FCC said, was to determine why enterprise communications systems “appear to be lagging.” Continue reading