Year 2000 Telecommunications Priorities

Keywords : Telecommunications, National Priorities, Year 2000 Contingency Planning, Vendors, International Cooperation,

International Telecommunications Union - Year 2000 Task Force

• Intercarrier Testing Sub Group As a sub group of the ITU Year 2000 Task Force to conclusively address the feasibility of Inter-Carrier Year 2000 compliance testing, and to produce a definitive set of statements that will assist the ITU, its members and their customers to establish what is practicable and recommended when seeking end-to-end assurances for Year 2000 compliance.
• Information Management Sub Group
• Contingency Planning Sub Group Focuses on reducing the risk of Year 2000-induced business failures. It safeguards an organisation's ability to produce a minimum acceptable level of outputs and services in the event of failures of internal or external information systems and services. It also links risk management and mitigation efforts to the organisation's Year 2000 program, and helps to identify alternate resources and processes needed to operate core business processes. While not a long-term solution to Year 2000-induced failures, it will help to prepare for a potential crisis, and may facilitate the restoration of normal service at the earliest possible time in the most cost-effective manner.

National Communications System As an organization, the NCS brings together the assets of 23 Federal departments and agencies to address the full range of NS/EP telecommunications issues. It incorporates changing legislative, regulatory, judicial, and technical issues in interagency emergency telecommunications planning activities. The NCS members include:Member Organizations

National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) The NSTAC is a Presidential Advisory Committee that was established in September of 1982 to provide advice and expertise to the President and the Executive Agent, NCS, on issues and problems related to implementing NS/EP telecommunications policy.

National Coordinating Committee  for Telecommunications The National Communications System's (NCS) requirement for a joint industry and government organization to coordinate emergency telecommunications response, led to the creation of the National Coordinating Center for Telecommunications (NCC) in 1984. The NCC is unique in that it provides a forum for industry and government representatives to work together on a daily basis. The capabilities which the NCC uses during emergencies include the Communications Resource Information Sharing (CRIS) initiative, the Emergency Response Fly-Away Kit (ERFAK), the Emergency Response Link (ERLink), the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS), the SHAred RESources (SHARES) High Frequency (HF) Radio Program, and the Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) System.  N3 Home Page "Operations Division(N3) The Operations Division has a unique joint industry- government mission to ensure the availability of telecommunications across the entire spectrum of emergencies. " National Communications System, Communications Resource Information Sharing (CRIS) Initiative

US - General Services Administration Telecommunications Subgroup Information about the Federal Agencies' efforts.  Key Telecom Compliance Databases still only accessible by Federal Employees.

Telecommunications Service Priorities "The Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) System for National Security and Emergency Preparedness (NS/EP) was developed to ensure priority treatment for the Nation's most important telecommunications services. The TSP System provides a mechanism for service users to obtain TSP assignments from the NCS' Office of Priority Telecommunications (OPT). These TSP assignments allow service users the opportunity to obtain priority treatment from telecommunication service vendors for services that support NS/EP functions. When service users pass those TSP assignments to service vendors, the service vendors are then both authorized and required to provision and/or restore those telecommunication services with TSP assignments before services without such assignments.

To further the goals of the TSP System, the TSP Oversight Committee was established in July 1990 to identify, review, and recommend actions to correct or prevent any systemic problems developing in the TSP System. The Committee membership is composed of 19 individuals from Federal agencies, state government, and industry who meet on a biannual basis. "

US - Federal Communications Commission (FCC)  Year 2000 Homepage "The purpose of this web site is to provide an information resource for communications and broadcasting companies (and their customers) who are concerned about the Year 2000 problem. This site provides specific information on both FCC activities and industry activities, including those of industry associations." Suggestions for Responding to the Year 2000

The Network Reliability and Interoperability Council (An FCC Council)

Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), Committee T1-Telecommunications; Standards