The FCC has established a new Emergency Response Interoperability Center (ERIC) under the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) with the mission of promoting nationwide operability and interoperability in
wireless broadband communications for America's first responders. 
Operating under the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB), ERIC will work closely with industry, commercial providers, manufacturers and standards setting groups to ensure interoperability and operability on the new network.
The FCC's recently released National Broadband Plan recommended a framework to create a nationwide interoperable wireless broadband network for public safety. ERIC's mission is to adopt and implement:
- Technical requirements and procedures for ensuring a nationwide level of interoperability;
- Mechanisms to address operability, roaming, priority access, gateway functions and interfaces, and interconnectivity of public safety broadband wireless networks; and
- Authentication and encryption requirements for common public safety broadband
applications and network usage.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will be instrumental in the functions of the ERIC.http://http://
