Home TSP Program Provides Priority Telecommunications For National Security And Emergency Preparedness Missions Washington D.C., March 28, 2001 - On March 28, 2000, twin tornadoes struck downtown Fort Worth, Texas, smashing windows in several skyscrapers, flattening buildings, overturning vehicles, and scattering debris along downtown streets. A few hundred feet away from the direct path of one of the tornadoes, the windows on nearly every floor of the building that housed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) were blown out. With power and telephone lines out to thousands of customers -- including the ATF -- the Bureau’s Office of Science and Technology (OST) had a crisis on their hands. Because the OST oversees the ATF’s application of science and technology to collect, clarify, and communicate the information needed to reduce violent crime, collect revenue, and protect the public, OST was responsible for overseeing the restoration of the ATF’s communication lines. Given the ATF’s unique position within the law enforcement community in enforcing Federal laws relating to alcohol, tobacco, firearms, explosives, and arson, it was important that OST restore the ATF’s communications capabilities as quickly as possible. Fortunately, the OST was able to rely on the Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) Program for priority restoration of the ATF’s telecommunications circuits. While the ATF was establishing an emergency command center a few blocks away, the ATF’s telecommunications carrier began priority restoration efforts. The circuits were reinstalled the next morning. The preceding scenario is common for the TSP Program. Entities with national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) missions requiring expedited restoration of existing telecommunications services or provisioning of new services to meet mission-critical requirements use TSP. The Federal Communications Commission defines NS/EP missions as those used to maintain a state of readiness or respond to any event (local, national, or international) that could harm the population, damage property, or threaten the NS/EP posture of the United States. When natural disasters such as tornadoes, floods and earthquakes, and technical disasters strike, requests for restoration often inundate telecommunications service vendors. The TSP Program provides telecommunications vendors with a regulatory, administrative, and operational framework for priority provisioning and restoration of qualified NS/EP services. The TSP Program originated at the time of the AT&T divestiture in 1984; an action that brought the formation of the Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs). Officials with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) realized that the United States needed a system among the various carriers to identify and prioritize critical NS/EP telecommunications services. Soon thereafter, the FCC issued the TSP Report and Order establishing the TSP Program. The program grants common carrier telecommunications vendors the legal protection necessary to provide priority treatment to telecommunications services designated with TSP assignments over non-TSP services. The Office of the Manager, National Communications System (OMNCS) administers the TSP Program. Within the OMNCS, the Office of Priority Telecommunications (OPT) manages the day-to-day operations of the TSP Program and is the point of contact for TSP matters. The first step in the TSP process is identifying services that support NS/EP missions, including national security, public health and safety, and public welfare, as indicated in FCC’s TSP Report and Order (FCC 88-341). The TSP Program is available for use by organizations whose missions meet those criteria. Non-Federal TSP users must have a Federal agency sponsor for their TSP requests. The OPT can help the non-Federal user determine which Federal organization would be an appropriate sponsor, based on a shared mission. With more than 36,900 NS/EP services currently protected with TSP assignments, the TSP Program has been very successful. These assignments ensure that the telecommunications services that are crucial to performing NS/EP missions will receive priority restoration from vendors before non-TSP services. Currently, State and local organizations constitute the largest growth area for TSP restoration assignments, indicating the important role that TSP can play in regard to Federal, State, and local government, and industry critical infrastructure protection efforts. Chatry Perry, Section Leader of the OMNCS Training/Planning/Operational Support Section, believes the program is vital to national security. "By using TSP, an organization can take proactive measures to prepare for the unexpected,” said Perry. “Our daily use of telecommunications services creates a presumption that they will always be available. By providing a prioritized response to a loss of service, TSP can enhance an organization’s operational effectiveness." The OPT has also successfully applied information technology solutions to support its mission and enhance the administration and operation of the TSP Program. The OPT uses the Priority Telecommunications System (PTS) client and server platform to process administrative information while providing users, vendors, and Federal sponsors with a flexible way to remotely access TSP information and on-line services. In addition, the OPT uses the Internet for TSP outreach and information sharing. A continuously updated TSP Web Site is available at http://tsp.ncs.gov. This Web site includes expansive information about the TSP Program, descriptive TSP graphics, and a link to electronic versions of TSP Program forms. The TSP electronic forms (e-form), such as the TSP Request for Service Users and the Service Confirmation for Service Vendors forms, are accessible via a secure server. After completing a registration form and receiving authorization from the OPT, e-form users can submit TSP forms to the OPT online. The OPT then processes the information and posts return information, such as TSP assignments, on a secure server for access by authorized e-forms users. These technologies and applications will ensure that the TSP Program continues to serve the critical needs of NS/EP users into the 21st century. For more information about the TSP Program, please contact:
Office of the Manager, National Communications System
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