Disaster Preparedness &

Response SummitSteve Birnbaum

Chair, Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Response ProgramsGlobal VSAT Forum

steve.birnbaum@gvf.orgwww.gvf.org

The Global VSAT Forum

• Non-Profit Satellite-Sector Association (FSS, MSS, BSS)

• 230+ Member Organizations Based Globally

• Members Support Millions of Systems Worldwide

• GVF Enabling Satcom Service Delivery Through:

o Facilitation: Emergency Notifications, Dialogue

o Training: VSAT Installation and…

o Preparedness: GVF Registry & Installer Database

GVF Disaster Preparedness Registry Relationships

Distinguished PanelName Title Organiztion

Larry WentzSenior Research Fellow, Center for Technology and National Security Policy National Defense University

Lynda Geraci President About Business Continuity IncRobin Burton Telecom Consultant IFRC / TERAShanti Smith Program Director Witt Associates

Dr. Jerrold ThompsonMinister of Telecommunications, Science, Technology and Industry St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Gaetan Mentor  Advisor Telecom HaitiHoward Mollison DRP Committee Chairman CANTOJoel Trimble President Haiti Satellite

Donnie Vella   Commercial Mobile Alert SystemKelly O'Keefe Advisor IridiumScott Johnson Manager of Strategic Programs MTN Government ServicesSteve Collar CEO O3b NetworksSteve Yablonski SVP & CTO Globecomm

UN Disaster Definition• 10 or more people killed, OR

• 100 or more people reported affected, OR

• Call for assistance (exceeded regional response capacity), OR

• Declaration of state of emergency by national government

6 Source: http://www.emdat.be/criteria-and-definition

The “Whole Community”

"Perhaps the most important initiative we must undertake, regardless of the budget environment, is to recognize our efforts are part of an interconnected plan of action. This "Whole Community" approach to emergency management provides the appropriate framework for leveraging the expertise and resources of our stakeholders at all levels, both governmental and nongovernmental.

…We know that non-governmental organizations - like faith-based and nonprofit groups - and private sector entities possess knowledge, assets and services that government simply cannot provide. An effective disaster response involves tapping into all of these resources.

…Through engaging the "Whole Community," we maximize our limited funding and leverage the capabilities of our partners, who play a critical role in the process.”

Craig Fugate, FEMAHouse Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness 2012

PPD8 – July 6, 2012By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Policy. The Federal Government must have the ability to communicate at all times and under all circumstances to carry out its most critical and time sensitive missions. Survivable, resilient, enduring, and effective communications, both domestic and international, are essential to enable the executive branch to communicate within itself and with: the legislative and judicial branches; State, local, territorial, and tribal governments; private sector entities; and the public, allies, and other nations. Such communications must be possible under all circumstances to ensure national security, effectively manage emergencies, and improve national resilience. The views of all levels of government, the private and nonprofit sectors, and the public must inform the development of national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) communications policies, programs, and capabilities.

Full Text: http://1.usa.gov/PlCLga

Tampere ConventionThe Tampere Convention calls on States to facilitate the provision of prompt telecommunication assistance to mitigate the impact of a disaster, and covers both the installation and operation of reliable, flexible telecommunication services.

Regulatory barriers that impede the use of telecommunication resources for disasters are waived. These barriers include the licensing requirements to use allocated frequencies, restrictions on the import of telecommunication equipment, as well as limitations on the movement of humanitarian teams.

Tampere Convention Signatories

Country Date of SignatureDefinitive signature (s) ratification, accession (a),acceptance (A) or approval (AA)

Barbados   25 Jul 2003 a

Brazil 12 Mar 1999

Chile 18 Jun 1998  Colombia   12 Jun 2008 aCosta Rica 20 Jun 2003  Dominica   26 Dec 2000 aEl Salvador 9 Aug 2000 18 Apr 2002Haiti 11 Feb 1999Honduras 25 Feb 1999Nicaragua 18 Jun 1998 18 Nov 1999Panama 20 Sep 2001 5 Mar 2003Peru 14 Jan 1999 27 Oct 2003Saint Lucia 31 Jan 2000Saint Vincent and the Grenadines   14 Aug 2003 aUruguay 13 May 2003Venezuela 3 Apr 2003 13 May 2005

As of January, 2009

FCC Programs & Capabilities

• Alerting o First ever nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System last November o Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS)/Personal Localized Alerting Network (PLAN) - A service

that allows customers who own an enabled mobile device to receive geographically targeted text-like messages alerting them of imminent threats to safety in their area.

• Restoration capabilities o Deployable Aerial Communications Architecture – FCC put out a notice of inquiry to get

feedback on how aerial devices could assist with communications restoration over a wide area.  Key challenges include interoperability, frequency planning, minimizing interference, and coverage.  But there is a lot of opportunity to explore this type of technology for wide area restoration.

o Deployable Enhanced Emergency Radio Station (DEERS) – an FCC concept for a “radio station in a box” that allows for rapid restoration of broadcast radio capabilities in an affected zone.  The key is that there may be only one or two foreign language stations in an area, or a remote area with one main broadcaster – if they go down, this truck could be brought in to allow them to continue providing valuable information over the airwaves.

• Activities on identifying the extent of damage o The Disaster Information Reporting System, or DIRS, is a voluntary, web-based system that

communications companies, including wireless, wireline, broadcast, and cable providers, can use to report communications infrastructure status and situational awareness information during times of crisis.  This helps streamline requests for assistance and helps us understand the extent of damage.

FCC General Thoughts• Why pay for preparedness?

o Speed (predeployment, availability to avoid the “rush” when many people need the same goods) o Effective Use (allows for testing, regular use – more likely to be effective)

• Focus should be on resilience of our communications – operability and interoperability, with capabilities that can be gap filled or restored.

• There should be multi-jurisdictional sharing in a crisis, or an ability for neighboring jurisdictions to assist each other – flexibility in shared mobile assets with mutual aid agreements

• What does resilience look like in communications systems? o Redundant (backup capabilities)o Available (not subject to congestion, ubiquitous)o Diverse (multiple means or paths)o Secure (hardened against attack, listening)o Interoperable (able to reach multiple devices)

• Not every system one uses must have all of these attributes – it is important to think of them as capabilities that an entire communications suite must have

• Some reasons why communication is important o Getting life saving information out to the public o Coordinating response o Giving the public access to emergency services