The FCC's monthly open meeting highlighted homeland security as a major theme. Shortly after September 11, Chairman Powell made Homeland Security one of the six pillars of the Commission's Strategic Plan. Since that time, Homeland Security has been an area of significant focus for the Commission.
FCC actions over the past year promoting Homeland Security include:
- Rulemakings Promoting Homeland Security: The Commission has taken action in numerous rulemaking proceedings that promise significant benefits to first responders. These actions include the adoption of rules to: resolve interference in the 800 MHz band; enable new applications in the 4.9 GHz band; and promote Intelligent Transportation Systems. In addition, the Commission has enhanced Homeland Security in a number of other arenas, including, for example, rulemakings that promote new technologies that support Homeland Security such as RF ID tags, the Telecommunications Relay Service proceeding, where the FCC addressed national security and emergency preparedness priorities for individuals with hearing and speech disabilities, and actions involving CALEA and Outage Reporting that were adopted today.
- Federal Advisory Committees and Partnerships: the Commission's ongoing efforts with the industry include its Media Security and Reliability Council and its Network Reliability and Interoperability Council. The FCC has also partnered with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other federal, state, local, and tribal entities, and communities with special needs.
