U.s.c 571

§ 571

TITLE 6—DOMESTIC SECURITY
SUBCHAPTER XIII—EMERGENCY
COMMUNICATIONS
CODIFICATION

This subchapter is comprised of title XVIII of Pub. L.
107–296, as added by Pub. L. 109–295, title VI, § 671(b),
Oct. 4, 2006, 120 Stat. 1433. Another title XVIII of Pub.
L. 107–296 was renumbered title XIX and is classified to
subchapter XIV (§ 591 et seq.) of this chapter.

§ 571. Office of Emergency Communications
(a) In general
There is established in the Department an Office of Emergency Communications.
(b) Director
The head of the office shall be the Director for
Emergency Communications. The Director shall
report
to
the
Assistant
Secretary
for
Cybersecurity and Communications.
(c) Responsibilities
The Director for Emergency Communications
shall—
(1) assist the Secretary in developing and
implementing the program described in section 194(a)(1) of this title, except as provided
in section 195 of this title;
(2) administer the Department’s responsibilities
and
authorities
relating
to
the
SAFECOM Program, excluding elements related to research, development, testing, and evaluation and standards;
(3) administer the Department’s responsibilities and authorities relating to the Integrated
Wireless Network program;
(4) conduct extensive, nationwide outreach
to support and promote the ability of emergency response providers and relevant government officials to continue to communicate in
the event of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters;
(5) conduct extensive, nationwide outreach
and foster the development of interoperable
emergency communications capabilities by
State, regional, local, and tribal governments
and public safety agencies, and by regional
consortia thereof;
(6) provide technical assistance to State, regional, local, and tribal government officials
with respect to use of interoperable emergency
communications capabilities;
(7) coordinate with the Regional Administrators regarding the activities of Regional
Emergency
Communications
Coordination
Working Groups under section 575 of this title;
(8) promote the development of standard operating procedures and best practices with respect to use of interoperable emergency communications capabilities for incident response,
and facilitate the sharing of information on
such best practices for achieving, maintaining,
and enhancing interoperable emergency communications capabilities for such response;
(9) coordinate, in cooperation with the National Communications System, the establishment of a national response capability with
initial and ongoing planning, implementation,
and training for the deployment of communications equipment for relevant State, local,
and tribal governments and emergency response providers in the event of a catastrophic

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loss of local and regional emergency communications services;
(10) assist the President, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council,
and the Director of the Office of Management
and Budget in ensuring the continued operation of the telecommunications functions and
responsibilities of the Federal Government,
excluding spectrum management;
(11) establish, in coordination with the Director of the Office for Interoperability and
Compatibility, requirements for interoperable
emergency
communications
capabilities,
which shall be nonproprietary where standards
for such capabilities exist, for all public safety
radio and data communications systems and
equipment purchased using homeland security
assistance administered by the Department,
excluding any alert and warning device, technology, or system;
(12) review, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary for Grants and Training, all
interoperable
emergency
communications
plans of Federal, State, local, and tribal governments, including Statewide and tactical
interoperability plans, developed pursuant to
homeland security assistance administered by
the Department, but excluding spectrum allocation and management related to such plans;
(13) develop and update periodically, as appropriate, a National Emergency Communications Plan under section 572 of this title;
(14) perform such other duties of the Department necessary to support and promote the
ability of emergency response providers and
relevant government officials to continue to
communicate in the event of natural disasters,
acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters; and
(15) perform other duties of the Department
necessary to achieve the goal of and maintain
and enhance interoperable emergency communications capabilities.
(d) Performance of previously transferred functions
The Secretary shall transfer to, and administer through, the Director for Emergency Communications the following programs and responsibilities:
(1) The SAFECOM Program, excluding elements related to research, development, testing, and evaluation and standards.
(2) The responsibilities of the Chief Information Officer related to the implementation of
the Integrated Wireless Network.
(3) The Interoperable Communications Technical Assistance Program.
(e) Coordination
The Director for Emergency Communications
shall coordinate—
(1) as appropriate, with the Director of the
Office for Interoperability and Compatibility
with respect to the responsibilities described
in section 195 of this title; and
(2) with the Administrator of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency with respect
to the responsibilities described in this subchapter.

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TITLE 6—DOMESTIC SECURITY

(f) Sufficiency of resources plan
(1) Report
Not later than 120 days after October 4, 2006,
the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the resources and staff necessary to
carry out fully the responsibilities under this
subchapter.
(2) Comptroller General review
The Comptroller General shall review the
validity of the report submitted by the Secretary under paragraph (1). Not later than 60
days after the date on which such report is
submitted, the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress a report containing the findings of such review.
(Pub. L. 107–296, title XVIII, § 1801, as added Pub.
L. 109–295, title VI, § 671(b), Oct. 4, 2006, 120 Stat.
1433.)
CODIFICATION
Another section 1801 of Pub. L. 107–296 was renumbered section 1901 and is classified to section 591 of this
title.
CHANGE OF NAME
Any reference to the Administrator of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency in title VI of Pub. L.
109–295 or an amendment by title VI to be considered to
refer and apply to the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency until Mar. 31, 2007, see section 612(f)(2) of Pub. L. 109–295, set out as a note under
section 313 of this title.
SAVINGS CLAUSE
Pub. L. 109–295, title VI, § 675, Oct. 4, 2006, 120 Stat.
1444, provided that: ‘‘Nothing in this subtitle [subtitle
D (§§ 671–675) of title VI of Pub. L. 109–295, enacting this
subchapter and sections 195 and 195a of this title and
provisions set out as a note under section 101 of this
title] shall be construed to transfer to the Office of
Emergency Communications any function, personnel,
asset, component, authority, grant program, or liability of the Federal Emergency Management Agency as
constituted on June 1, 2006.’’

§ 572. National Emergency Communications Plan
(a) In general
The Secretary, acting through the Director for
Emergency Communications, and in cooperation
with the Department of National Communications System (as appropriate), shall, in cooperation with State, local, and tribal governments,
Federal departments and agencies, emergency
response providers, and the private sector, develop not later than 180 days after the completion of the baseline assessment under section 573
of this title, and periodically update, a National
Emergency Communications Plan to provide
recommendations regarding how the United
States should—
(1) support and promote the ability of emergency response providers and relevant government officials to continue to communicate in
the event of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters; and
(2) ensure, accelerate, and attain interoperable emergency communications nationwide.
(b) Coordination
The Emergency Communications Preparedness
Center under section 576 of this title shall coor-

§ 572

dinate the development of the Federal aspects of
the National Emergency Communications Plan.
(c) Contents
The National Emergency Communications
Plan shall—
(1) include recommendations developed in
consultation with the Federal Communications Commission and the National Institute
of Standards and Technology for a process for
expediting national voluntary consensus
standards for emergency communications
equipment for the purchase and use by public
safety agencies of interoperable emergency
communications equipment and technologies;
(2) identify the appropriate capabilities necessary for emergency response providers and
relevant government officials to continue to
communicate in the event of natural disasters,
acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters;
(3) identify the appropriate interoperable
emergency communications capabilities necessary for Federal, State, local, and tribal governments in the event of natural disasters,
acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters;
(4) recommend both short-term and longterm solutions for ensuring that emergency
response providers and relevant government
officials can continue to communicate in the
event of natural disasters, acts of terrorism,
and other man-made disasters;
(5) recommend both short-term and longterm solutions for deploying interoperable
emergency communications systems for Federal, State, local, and tribal governments
throughout the Nation, including through the
provision of existing and emerging technologies;
(6) identify how Federal departments and
agencies that respond to natural disasters,
acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters can work effectively with State, local,
and tribal governments, in all States, and with
other entities;
(7) identify obstacles to deploying interoperable emergency communications capabilities
nationwide and recommend short-term and
long-term measures to overcome those obstacles, including recommendations for multijurisdictional coordination among Federal,
State, local, and tribal governments;
(8) recommend goals and timeframes for the
deployment of emergency, command-level
communications systems based on new and existing equipment across the United States and
develop a timetable for the deployment of
interoperable emergency communications systems nationwide;
(9) recommend appropriate measures that
emergency response providers should employ
to ensure the continued operation of relevant
governmental communications infrastructure
in the event of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters; and
(10) set a date, including interim benchmarks, as appropriate, by which State, local,
and tribal governments, Federal departments
and agencies, and emergency response providers expect to achieve a baseline level of na-