6 U.S.C. § 575: Regional emergency…

Summary

Each Regional Office must set up a Regional Emergency Communications Coordination Working Group (RECC Working Group). The group must report to the Regional Administrator and work with the Regional Advisory Council. Members include state and local officials (for example, sheriffs, police, fire, 9‑1‑1 centers), state and local emergency managers, other emergency responders, and federal representatives from the Department, the Federal Communications Commission, and other federal agencies that help coordinate emergency communications. The group must also coordinate with communications companies and vendors, phone and wireless carriers, broadcasters, satellite and cable operators, hospitals, utilities, transit and ambulance services, amateur radio operators, and other private or nonprofit organizations as needed. The RECC Working Group must check whether local emergency communications can survive disasters, keep running, and work together to meet the National Emergency Communications Plan goals; report annually to the Regional Administrator, the Assistant Director for Emergency Communications, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, and the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information of the Department of Commerce (and report on progress within 60 days after the initial Plan is finished); make sure there is a way to coordinate multi‑agency, multi‑jurisdiction communications using mutual aid agreements; and help set up federal, state, local, and tribal support services and networks to meet immediate critical human needs in disasters.

Title 6, §575

Domestic Security, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general

There is established in each Regional Office a Regional Emergency Communications Coordination Working Group (in this section referred to as an “RECC Working Group”). Each RECC Working Group shall report to the relevant Regional Administrator and coordinate its activities with the relevant Regional Advisory Council.

(b)Membership

Each RECC Working Group shall consist of the following:

(1)Non-Federal

Organizations representing the interests of the following:

(A)State officials.

(B)Local government officials, including sheriffs.

(C)State police departments.

(D)Local police departments.

(E)Local fire departments.

(F)Public safety answering points (9–1–1 services).

(G)State emergency managers, homeland security directors, or representatives of State Administrative Agencies.

(H)Local emergency managers or homeland security directors.

(I)Other emergency response providers as appropriate.

(2)Federal

Representatives from the Department, the Federal Communications Commission, and other Federal departments and agencies with responsibility for coordinating interoperable emergency communications with or providing emergency support services to State, local, and tribal governments.

(c)Coordination

Each RECC Working Group shall coordinate its activities with the following:

(1)Communications equipment manufacturers and vendors (including broadband data service providers).

(2)Local exchange carriers.

(3)Local broadcast media.

(4)Wireless carriers.

(5)Satellite communications services.

(6)Cable operators.

(7)Hospitals.

(8)Public utility services.

(9)Emergency evacuation transit services.

(10)Ambulance services.

(11)HAM and amateur radio operators.

(12)Representatives from other private sector entities and nongovernmental organizations as the Regional Administrator determines appropriate.

(d)Duties

The duties of each RECC Working Group shall include—

(1)assessing the survivability, sustainability, and interoperability of local emergency communications systems to meet the goals of the National Emergency Communications Plan;

(2)reporting annually to the relevant Regional Administrator, the Assistant Director for Emergency Communications, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, and the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information of the Department of Commerce on the status of its region in building robust and sustainable interoperable voice and data emergency communications networks and, not later than 60 days after the completion of the initial National Emergency Communications Plan under section 572 of this title, on the progress of the region in meeting the goals of such plan;

(3)ensuring a process for the coordination of effective multijurisdictional, multi-agency emergency communications networks for use during natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters through the expanded use of emergency management and public safety communications mutual aid agreements; and

(4)coordinating the establishment of Federal, State, local, and tribal support services and networks designed to address the immediate and critical human needs in responding to natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Another section 1805 of Pub. L. 107–296 was renumbered section 1905 and was classified to section 595 of this title, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 115–387, § 2(a)(4), Dec. 21, 2018, 132 Stat. 5163.

Amendments

2018—Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 115–278 substituted “Assistant Director for Emergency Communications” for “Director for Emergency Communications”.

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.

§575 Regional Emergency Communications Coordination