Cross-Sector Resiliency Forum Working Without FCC Rules, Industry Experts Say

The Cross-Sector Resiliency Forum, formed after Hurricane Michael in 2018, is proving useful as a liaison between the power and communications industries, but it's probably best left alone as a voluntary effort, without formal FCC rules, speakers said Wednesday during an FCBA Homeland Security and Emergency Communications Committee lunch. During an FCC forum last year on lessons learned during disasters, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel called for greater coordination between communications providers and power companies (see 2211170079).

Cross-sector resiliency is “very relevant, because things are very much changing in not only climate,” which is “impacting various areas of our country, but disasters are getting more intense and more challenging,” said Wilkinson Barker’s Matt Gerst, a former CTIA official. Communications and power companies play major roles in ensuring communications are maintained during disasters, he added.

The forum was established to address challenges when both sectors race to reestablish service after disasters, Gerst said. “Despite best efforts there was some tripping over each other’s feet just trying to restore service,” he noted.

Electric companies are some of the nation’s largest users of communications, to run systems, dispatch personnel and keep them safe, said Aryeh Fishman, associate general counsel at the Edison Electric Institute. Power companies typically work together closely before, during and after disasters, he said. They also coordinate with local, state and federal authorities, he added. “There’s not a one-size disaster approach -- our companies have to take an all-hazards approach,” he said.

Within the power industry there’s cooperation, added Holly Henderson, Southern Linc manager-public policy and strategic alliances. For instance, Southern Co. will send crews to the Northeast to help restore power after an ice storm, she said. Southern Linc is a subsidiary of the utility.

The “cross-pollination of ideas” seen in the power sector often happens within communications companies rather than between large communications providers, said Steve Morris, NCTA associate general counsel. That’s also true for mutual aid, he added.

“The more collaboration that is taking place between people with knowledge on the ground, the better off everyone will be,” Morris argued. “We’re all depending on each other,” he said. For many cable operators, most facilities are on poles, which electric utilities own. As a result, “we need to be working together,” he said. The forum’s goal is to "sort of spread the word" about the best of what companies are doing, he said: “There’s no best way -- the best way is what works in your community.”

After disasters, small and large, Verizon does a “post-mortem” and looks at lessons learned, said Robert Morse, Verizon assistant general counsel. No two disasters are the same, he said, a theme echoed throughout the session. The 2017-2018 hurricane seasons demonstrated the need for greater coordination, he said. Engineers and technicians on the ground need to know whom to talk to and be able to establish quickly “what areas are opened up, what are the obstacles” so that Verizon trucks can follow power trucks in restoring service, Morse added.

Debris clearance is often the "Achilles' heel" for disaster recovery, Morse said. Local governments must call contractors to clear trees and other obstructions “and that can create a real information gap or understanding gap in terms of what’s needed,” he said. Just because fiber is lying on the ground doesn’t mean it’s not working, he said.

If the electric company doesn’t know what the priority sites are for wireless or cable companies, you’re going to have problems and vice versa. And the local government needs to know all that, too,” Morris said: All the companies must know where the local government is focused and what streets will be taken care of first, “what are the red flags that they’re focused on.” Power companies are considered “first among equals” because everyone wants their electricity restored, but power companies depend on communications providers to do their jobs. “We all need for everyone to be back,” he said.

Gerst said panelists seemed to agree that the forum's voluntary approach is working, with no need for new rules from the FCC.

State and local governments should have the ability to handle restoration and there shouldn’t be rules for wireless carriers or others about restoring service, Henderson said. “The nature of the disasters around the country does vary” and what works in Georgia may differ from what works in California or Hawaii, she said.

Unlike the major telecom carriers and cable companies, electric utilities are regional, EEI’s Fishman said. Southern Co. serves the South “and there’s a whole set of risks that are presented by being on the Gulf Coast, in hurricane ally, versus the West Coast” with earthquakes and wildfires, he said. “Each of these types of environments requires a different … approach to restoration” and different planning, he said.