Communications Infrastructure Security, Access

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• Communications Infrastructure Security, Access
  Restoration

Bruce Allan, Chairman November 6, 2003
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Charter of CommunicationsInfrastructure Working
Group

• Address the risks and vulnerabilities of our
  nation's television, radio, multi-channel video,
  microwave, and satellite infrastructure in the
  event of terrorist attack, natural disaster or
  other manmade catastrophe.
• Assess current security and restoration
  capabilities to identify best practices, needed
  enhancements, and recommended changes.
• Review current media infrastructure redundancy
  within and between each industry segment.
• Evaluate the impact of digital technology on
  security, infrastructure redundancy, and service
  restoration.

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Working Group Organization
Task Forces Chair Prevention Glenn
Reitmeier, NBC Restoration Bob Seidel,
CBS Future Technologies/ Ira Goldstone,
Tribune Digital Solutions
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Media Survey
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Media Survey Key Findings

• Have Rehearsed Their Disaster Recovery Plan

• Have a Disaster Recovery Plan

71
47
58
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15
7
Radio TV Cable

• Have Reciprocity Agreements with Other Local
  Media Companies

• Updated Disaster Recovery Plan After 9/11

58
36
11.5
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Media Survey Key Findings

• Have Secure Access

Transmission Site
News Origination Facilities
87
85
80
72
38
Radio
TV
Cable
Radio
TV
6
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Media Survey Key Findings

• Have a Backup Transmitter and Antenna Capability

• Have an Alternate Site for News/Programming

• Can activate backup communication links to
  transmitters in 15 minutes

• Back up capabilities - Cable
• 76 of cable respondents receive their primary
  signal feed from over-the air broadcasters with
• limited backup capability
• 62 of the cable systems surveyed have redundant
  routes from headends to hubs
• 88 of cable subscribers are served by headends
  that have access to the internet

50
32
Radio
TV
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Best Practice RecommendationsPrevention

• Prevention Radio, Local Television Cable
  Television
• Physical Security
• Appropriate physical security, augmented by
  security personnel and/or video surveillance at
  all key facilities.
• Backup Power
• Diverse power grid sources
• Backup power at key facilities
• Redundant Communications
• Robust and redundant communications for
  external/remote news sources
• Backup signal feeds to primary satellite sites.
• Backup signal feeds to transmitter/hub sites.
• Redundant Facilities
• Broadcasters with local news origination should
  have emergency origination capability at a second
  location (e.g. backup studio, ENG truck).
• Geographically diverse backup transmitter access,
  if feasible.
• Collaborate with colleagues and government
  authorities to increase site diversity and
  redundancy.

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Best Practice RecommendationsPrevention

•  Collaborative Planning
• All Local Media (e.g., Television Broadcasters,
  Cable Operators and Radio Broadcasters) in a
  market should collaborate to increase their
  collective geographic diversity and to establish
  redundant interconnections capable of
  supporting emergency operations.
• Television broadcasters should examine the
  possibility of using DTV facilities as backup for
  analog.
• Cable systems and local broadcasters in a market
  should work jointly to develop prevention
  plans.
• Cable systems should have some capability to
  obtain news and information in an emergency
  situation. (May include ENG/SNG trucks, satellite
  links or signal reception from local television
  broadcasters.)
•  
• Radio broadcasters should work with television
  broadcasters and cable operators to establish
  diverse primary and backup signal feeds from
  local television broadcasters and cable systems
  for use in emergency situations.
•  

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Restoration Working Group

• The Restoration Task Force has been charged with
  assessing the communications industrys ability
  to restore broadcast service following a national
  disaster or terrorist attack
• First hand experience in responding to disaster
  situations has provided the basis for many of the
  recommended Restoration Best Practices
• Hurricane Andrew (1992)
• World Trade Center (2001)
• N.E. Power Grid Failure (2003)
• The quickest and most effective restoration
  process results from broadcasters having
  redundant facilities, emergency back-up power,
  and a well prepared and rehearsed recovery plan.

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Best Practice RecommendationsRestoration

• Restoration
• Encourage radio and television broadcasters,
  cable companies, direct broadcast satellite (DBS)
  and digital satellite radio providers to develop
  and implement written disaster recovery plans to
  deal with short-term disruptions and catastrophic
  failure in primary transmission and studio
  facilities.
• Urge local stations and other media organizations
  to update their disaster recovery plans as events
  warrant, and regularly conduct emergency drills
  at least once annually.
• Establish market-by-market restoration committees
  consisting of all FCC licensees, MSOs and other
  electronic media including television, radio,
  cable DBS, digital satellite radio and
  telecommunications carriers.

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Best Practice RecommendationsRestoration

• Implement studio and transmitter operational
  reciprocity arrangements to ensure signal
  availability in all markets.
• Develop plans for utilization of ENG trucks as
  emergency alternate studios, with microwave links
  at transmitter sites for both analog and digital
  services.
• Create plans for alternate paths to cable
  headends. Alternate emergency distribution paths
  would include
• DTV transmitter to cable headend, down converted
  to NTSC.
• SNG to DBS to cable headend and DBS to homes
• Cross-connecting cable systems.
• Opening local-to-local DBS
• Opening local-to-local DBS service to all
  subscribers on an emergency basis.
• Low data rate Internet links.
• Portable microwave links.

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Best Practice RecommendationsRestoration

• Develop recovery timelines in situations where
  backup facilities exist. Stations with backup
  facilities should be prepared to provide service
  within 15 minutes of loss of primary facility.
• Propose that the Federal Emergency Management
  Agency (FEMA) administer emergency response
  broadcast equipment packages.
• Regional storage depots for use only in emergency
  situations.
• Mobile recovery systems to include
• VHF, UHF, AM FM transmission units.
• Mobile generators.
• 500-foot 100-foot tower sections.
• Establish federal preemption authority during
  declared national emergencies for replacement
  towers and other essential broadcast and content
  delivery needs.
• Restore broadcast telecommunications.
• Satellite phones to be available.
• Stations encouraged to establish amateur radio
  facility in studio.
• Utilize portable handheld units and alternate 450
  MHz communications repeater sites.

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Best Practice Recommendations

• Future Technologies/Digital Solutions
• Leverage existing digital television tool-set,
  including over-the-air, cable and satellite, to
  develop new emergency notification standards and
  practices.
• Use of multiple video and audio channels.
• Channel designation.
• Close captioning.
• ACAP middleware standard.

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Working Group Calendar
Sep-02
Dec-02
Mar-03
Jun-03
Sep-03
Dec-03
Jun-02
National
Regional
Metropolitan
Define Work
Tampa Model City Workshop Dec 2nd
Prevention
Plan
Review
Review
Review
Develop
Evaluate
Document Current Restoration
RestorationPlan
Restoration
Capabilities/Deficiencies
Redundancy
Digital
Design
Review Digital Landscape

Finalize Recommendations
Solutions
Survey
Identify Issues/Solutions
Work Group
Aug 7th
Dec 11th
March 19th
June 18th
Sept 17th
Meetings
Cinti
Wash
Wash
Wash
Wash
Chairman's
Monthly Conference Calls
Meetings
Task Force
Scheduled by Task Force Chairs
Meetings
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Next Steps

• Participate in Tampa Model City Workshop
• Finalize national level, DBS, and Satellite radio
  assessments
• Develop disaster recovery plan template
• Expand the pool of ideas and prototypes of
  digital applications
• Complete final report by February 29th.

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