In response to the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, the FCC announced several actions that it is taking:
- posted a web page with consumer information that may be helpful to the general public during this emergency situation, including links to amateur radio organizations who may provide alternative communications services
- the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology will put in place procedures to help emergency communications services resume and maintain operations in the areas impacted by the hurricane
- the FCC’s Media Bureau will provide relief to multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), television and radio broadcasters by allowing systems and stations to operate and restore communications as needed in areas impacted by the hurricane. This include rules that permit FM and TV stations to erect temporary antennas without prior authority from the FCC. Also allows AM stations to use a horizontal or vertical wire or a non-directional vertical element of a directional antenna as an emergency antenna.
- extended the regulatory fee filing window for those in affected areas
- granted a temporary waiver of numbering rules to allow carriers in those three states, and the numbering administrators that support them, to port telephone numbers geographically outside of rate centers during this period of service disruption.
- waived local number portability and number assignment rules to the extent necessary to permit carriers to port customers’ numbers to remote locations, on a temporary basis .
- implemented procedures to grant temporary authority for satellite Earth and Space Stations that need to initiate, resume, and maintain operations in the areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina
- implemented procedures to grant temporary authority for submarine cables and international routes that need to initiate, resume, and maintain operations in the areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina
http://www.fcc.gov
