Emergency Communications
Emergency communications and public safety is a critical part of our national telecommunications infrastructure. Public safety agencies and emergency management officials are among the largest users of telecom who work together to provide the rapid response systems needed to save lives. CACP is actively involved in participating with industry and government to establish effective communications systems that can reach and improve the exit time of persons with disabilities in emergencies to reach safety. CACP’s Helena Mitchell served on the Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer Advisory Committee, Homeland Security Working Group and was the former Chief of the Emergency Broadcasting System and Emergency Alert System at the FCC. CACP collaborates with public entities working in the public safety and emergency communications arena and private entities that represent the interest of persons with disabilities to develop emof people with sensory disabilities.
Georgia Tech Tested Mobile Alert System for Cell Phones December 3, 2008
View the Press Release [Word Doc]
Georgia Tech Tested Wireless Emergency Alerting for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing September 25, 2008
View the Press Release [Word Doc]
PBA partners with community organizations created accessible emergency communications. April 2008
View the Press Release [Word Doc]
Georgia Tech Tested Wireless Emergency Alert System for Visually Impaired March 4, 2008
View the Press Release [Word Doc]
Handout: 12 Considerations for Accessible Emergency Communications, Fall 2008
View the Handout [Word Doc]
FCC Rulemaking on Public Safety Spectrum Considers WEC’s Comments
9.25.2008 - The FCC released a Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) regarding
700 MHz re-auction of the D-Block spectrum for shared use by public safety and the winning
commercial bidder [WT Docket No. 06-150 and PS Docket No. 06-229]. In June 2008 The Wireless
Emergency Communications (WEC) Project of the Wireless RERC filed comments in the FCC’s Second
FNPRM regarding the same. Nine of those comments were considered in the new proceeding and
the tentative conclusions outlined by the FCC seeking further comment.
Read more...
.
Inter-State Partnership for a Common Goal
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHHS DSDHH) is partnering with
Georgia Institute of Technology’s Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless
Technologies’ (Wireless RERC) Wireless Emergency Communications (WEC) project, funded by U.S.
Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research,
to develop accessible emergency alerts for people with disabilities.
WEC Continues to Pursue Access on All Fronts
On July 8, 2008 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Second Report & Order
and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (2nd R&O FNPRM) regarding the Commercial Mobile
Alert System (CMAS). In the R&O the FCC references comments made by the Wireless RERC’s
Wireless Emergency Communications (WEC) project: "According to the Wireless RERC,
there is a need to develop a thorough testing regime to ensure that the CMAS will be
accessible and inclusive of all people, including those with disabilities and those
who do not speak English." The preceding quote can be found in paragraph 18 on
page 8 and a separate footnote reference regarding paragraph 21 on page 9.
The CMAS 2nd R&O FNPRM adopts rules regarding geographically targeted alerts
and the mandatory testing regime for participating commercial mobile service
providers and seeks comment on requiring non-commercial educational and public
broadcast television stations licensees to participate in testing their component
of the system. The full text of the document can be accessed at
[http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-08-164A1.pdf]. A word version of the document is available on the FCC homepage at [www.fcc.gov].
View Full Document [PDF]