Many Questions Remain in Wake of Sandy, Genachowski Says
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said Friday he went to New York in the wake of Sandy to observe first hand the effects of the storm and the work of FCC staff there. Genachowski provided a brief update on the storm at the end of the FCC meeting, in which he said many questions remain.
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"We have people on the ground in New York and they kicked into action … during the storm,” Genachowski said. “One of the issues as you know during the storm was getting fuel to cell sites and I spent time in New York with one of our staff members there who, in the middle of some of the worst parts of the storm, helped organize an effort to carry fuel up 30 flights to a generator at the top of a building of an important communications facility. That kind of dedication isn’t often recognized or known about.”
Genachowski said he also toured Verizon facilities in Lower Manhattan and other communications facilities devastated by the storm. “The destruction of the infrastructure was something that was extraordinary to see first hand, as were the efforts to recover from the storm,” he said. Genachowski said “any disruption to communications service is unacceptable, particularly in times of disaster” and the FCC continues to examine “how best to learn and apply the lessons of Sandy and other natural disasters to assure that we're as prepared as a country as we can possibly be."
FCC field hearings, expected to start early next year with a hearing in New York (CD Nov 23 p2), will cast a wide net, Genachowski indicated. The dates of the hearings have not yet been released. The hearings will examine “power, or electric grid, new technology solutions, next-generation 911, expediting state and local access authorizations, consumer information, the important role of broadcasters and new media,” he said.
"The images of flooding further north, devastation at the shore and fire at water’s edge, they sting,” said Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. “They're hard to forget. So many of our communications companies performed so well and admirably trying to get communications up and running in the aftermath of the storm and so did so many FCC employees, but as I have said before I think we can do more so that when we're most vulnerable we're able to connect.” Commissioner Ajit Pai said he plans to take part in the field hearings.