North American Network Operators Group
Date Prev | Date Next |
Date Index |
Thread Index |
Author Index |
Historical
How to volunteer tech/net services, etc for Katrina cleanup
- From: Joe Abley
- Date: Fri Sep 02 16:14:01 2005
In the interests of providing willing volunteers with a productive
place to offer their services, I just read the following:
http://www.boingboing.net/2005/09/02/fcc_coordinating_tec.html
This is arguably off-topic for this list, for which I apologise.
However, I thought it was worth sharing given the increasing number
of people trying to use the NANOG list to volunteer to help.
Text follows.
FCC COORDINATING TECH AID FOR KATRINA DISASTER
Quick notes from conference call hosted by the FCC today about
urgently coordinating resources and personnel from internet/
wireless service providers to get communications networks up and
running in in gulf states.
Lack of communications systems has been identified as a critical
issue holding back aid, missing persons, law enforcement, etc. in
crisis areas.
FCC personnel are working throughout the weekend to coordinate
these efforts with private industry, with wireless technology
groups, FEMA, and state governments in Mississippi, Louisiana, etc.
One of the challenges they face in this effort is fact that the
coordination effort involves multiple layers of bureaucracies --
also, that there has been no central point for directing available
assets offered by private industry. Participants on the call
included folks from Cisco, Intel, and wireless organizations.
Another challenge: working with FEMA and local governments to
ascertain whether it is more immediately effective to get old
systems up and running, or create new temporary ones. Depends on
tech behind communications system in question.
COMPANIES WITH TECH ASSETS AND/OR HUMAN RESOURCES TO DONATE FOR
COMMUNICATIONS AID IN KATRINA-IMPACTED AREAS SHOULD DO THE FOLLOWING
FCC Chief of Staff Dan Gonzales (dan dot gonzales at fcc dot org) says
FCC needs the following information from would be tech donors BY
NOON EASTERN ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 3.
1) identify the provider (name of your company or group)
2) identify assets you are willing to commit
3) state clearly what assets you are technologically capable of
providing (IP? data? voice?)
4) what your logistical requirements are to bring that to the
affected area.
5) can you bring generators? if so what size? capacity? power levels?
SUBMIT THIS INFORMATION TO
PART-15.ORG (they have an online submission form to collect this data)
or [email protected]
contacts: Michael Anderson ([email protected]) 630-466-9090, and
Claudia Crowley (ccrowley at gmail dot com), 817-292-0230.
Snip from part-15.org website:
The FCC and FEMA is in a desperate need to reestablish
communications in the disaster area. More specifically, the
metropolitan area of New Orleans and it's surrounding areas. What
can Wireless access internet service providers do to help? We can
reestablish internal communications and provide connectivity to all
disaster relief efforts by installing point to point, point to
multipoint links, IP Web cams to assist the police and fire
departments who can not be everywhere in such a large area, VoIP
phones to provide voice communications to relief personnel in
remote areas and many other types of normal everyday communications
that most people take for granted.
To accomplish these goals, we will need not only the License Exempt
Industry as a whole, but local communities, major companies, and
all others that can provide even the slightest of assistance to our
teams.
* FCC reps on the conference call also said they may relax some
regulations (power restrictions, etc) but are concerned that the
effort be coordinated centrally, carefully, so that various
emergency communications "efforts don't end up stepping on each
other" and causing more of a tech mess.
* Quote from call participant Jim Duncan, Cisco Critical
Infrastructure Insurance group: "Operational issue number one is
fuel and energy. Convoy accident happened today with fuel truck
heading into one area... getting fuel and power in is critical,
nothing can happen in terms of communications without that.
Communications priorities will include law enforcement issues, but
also missing persons -- getting refugees access to webpages to
unite missing families... "
* Some call participants also noted that any volunteers who end up
being assigned in the affected area should bring sleeping bags,
water, food so as not to strain resources. Hotel rooms, cars are
hard to come by. Tech experts who end up coming to the area (by way
of coordinated aid efforts) should be prepared to camp out.
Attachment:
PGP.sig
Description: This is a digitally signed message part
|