PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

The Secretary of Homeland Security, through the Assistant Director for Emergency Communications, must do a full assessment of federal, state, local, and tribal emergency communications. The first assessment had to be done within 1 year after October 4, 2006, and then at least every 5 years. The assessment must say what communications skills and systems are needed to keep people talking during natural disasters, terrorist acts, and other man-made disasters; list what interoperable capabilities are needed for specific events; check current capabilities; point out gaps between needs and what exists; and include a national inventory (done with the Secretary of Commerce and the FCC Chair) that lists each federal department’s channels/frequencies, the names used for those channels, the kinds of equipment used, and the interoperable systems used by public safety agencies. A classified annex is allowed, and past assessments may be used. Not later than 1 year after October 4, 2006, and every 2 years after that, the Secretary must report to Congress on progress. The report must include the latest assessment findings, how much interoperability has been reached and what gaps remain, an evaluation of the ability of emergency managers and responders to keep communicating during disasters (including Incidents of National Significance and catastrophic local/regional communications failures), a list of best practices, and an evaluation of whether the Department, alone or with the Department of Defense, should create a mobile communications force modeled on the Army Signal Corps to deploy to disaster sites.

Title 6, §573

Domestic Security, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Baseline assessment

Not later than 1 year after October 4, 2006, and not less than every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary, acting through the Assistant Director for Emergency Communications, shall conduct an assessment of Federal, State, local, and tribal governments that—

(1)defines the range of capabilities needed by emergency response providers and relevant government officials to continue to communicate in the event of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters;

(2)defines the range of interoperable emergency communications capabilities needed for specific events;

(3)assesses the current available capabilities to meet such communications needs;

(4)identifies the gap between such current capabilities and defined requirements; and

(5)includes a national interoperable emergency communications inventory to be completed by the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission that—

(A)identifies for each Federal department and agency—

(i)the channels and frequencies used;

(ii)the nomenclature used to refer to each channel or frequency used; and

(iii)the types of communications systems and equipment used; and

(B)identifies the interoperable emergency communications systems in use by public safety agencies in the United States.

(b)Classified annex

The baseline assessment under this section may include a classified annex including information provided under subsection (a)(5)(A).

(c)Savings clause

In conducting the baseline assessment under this section, the Secretary may incorporate findings from assessments conducted before, or ongoing on, October 4, 2006.

(d)Progress reports

Not later than one year after October 4, 2006, and biennially thereafter, the Secretary, acting through the Assistant Director for Emergency Communications, shall submit to Congress a report on the progress of the Department in achieving the goals of, and carrying out its responsibilities under, this subchapter, including—

(1)a description of the findings of the most recent baseline assessment conducted under subsection (a);

(2)a determination of the degree to which interoperable emergency communications capabilities have been attained to date and the gaps that remain for interoperability to be achieved;

(3)an evaluation of the ability to continue to communicate and to provide and maintain interoperable emergency communications by emergency managers, emergency response providers, and relevant government officials in the event of—

(A)natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters, including Incidents of National Significance declared by the Secretary under the National Response Plan; and

(B)a catastrophic loss of local and regional communications services;

(4)a list of best practices relating to the ability to continue to communicate and to provide and maintain interoperable emergency communications in the event of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters; and

(A)an evaluation of the feasibility and desirability of the Department developing, on its own or in conjunction with the Department of Defense, a mobile communications capability, modeled on the Army Signal Corps, that could be deployed to support emergency communications at the site of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Another section 1803 of Pub. L. 107–296 was renumbered section 1903 and is classified to section 593 of this title.

Amendments

2018—Subsecs. (a), (d). Pub. L. 115–278 substituted “Assistant Director for Emergency Communications” for “Director for Emergency Communications” in introductory provisions.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Reference to the Assistant Director for Emergency Communications deemed to be a reference to the Executive Assistant Director for Emergency Communications, see section 571(g) of this title, enacted Jan. 1, 2021.

§573 Assessments and Reports