Washington, DC – Congressman Jim Moran, Northern Virginia Democrat, today released the following statement regarding the Federal Communications Commission’s investigation into the 9-1-1 system failure during June’s “derecho” storm.
“I thank the FCC for undertaking this investigation. The powerful June storm knocked out 77 9-1-1 call centers, impacting service for 3.6 million people, 2 million of whom live in Northern Virginia and surrounding areas. In Fairfax County, 1,900 calls were not received. The vulnerability of our emergency response system is dangerous, unacceptable, and avoidable.
“The FCC report provides appropriate recommendations to prevent this situation from occurring again. These include ensuring service providers are accountable for the soundness of their systems.
“The numerous and widespread flaws discovered in the FCC’s report call for immediate action. While the FCC begins its rulemaking process, I intend to pursue a legislative fix that compliments their recommendations to strengthen our 9-1-1 systems.”
The report recommendations include requiring service providers to:
– Maintain adequate central office backup power
– Have reliable network monitoring systems
– Conduct routine audits of 9-1-1 circuits
– Notify 9-1-1 call centers of problems
To read the FCC’s report, please visit: http://www.fcc.gov/document/de…
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