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Getting Priority Service Communications in the Hands of National Security and Emergency Preparedness Staff

Arlington VA, February 22, 2008 - One of the most difficult challenges in responding to a national disaster or emergency event is maintaining ongoing critical communications. When a disaster strikes, the public telephone network can quickly become congested. Government leaders, police, fire and rescue workers, and other emergency responders must compete with the general public for the same congested landline and wireless resources

As a means of solving the congestion problem for National Security leadership and emergency workers, the National Communications System (NCS), part of the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Cyber Security and Communications, provides two priority telecommunications services that significantly improve the ability to communicate under all circumstances, including national emergencies, terrorist attacks, or other crisis events.

The programs - the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) and Wireless Priority Service (WPS) - provide authorized users the ability to make emergency phone calls without worrying about congestion.
Currently, the NCS and the Department of Homeland Security are campaigning to increase disaster preparedness by getting more GETS cards and WPS subscriptions into the hands of national security and emergency personnel who could deploy to disaster areas on a moment’s notice.

Greg Garcia, the DHS Assistant Secretary for Cyber Security and Communications, said “Employees of the Department of Homeland Security must set the example across the nation for emergency preparedness by registering as soon as possible for GETS and WPS priority services accounts. With just one call, NCS personnel will ensure that those in DHS who need priority service will get it - and get it quickly.”

“The NCS Priority Services should be a vital part of the emergency response plans for every Federal, State, and local government entity,” said Frank Suraci, the GETS and WPS Program Director. “These priority services allow emergency responders and other key NS/EP personnel to have their critical communications get “priority” treatment over calls from the general public during times when the public network is severely congested.”
Suraci also said that the NCS is the lead agency under the National Response Plan for Emergency Support Function 2 – Communications, and provides priority telecommunications services in response to White House Executive Orders and tasking

Staying Connected
GETS is a nationwide priority communications service carried over the wired communications infrastructure. The service provides national security and emergency personnel access and priority processing in the public telephone network during any disaster or emergency event. By using a GETS calling card and personal identification number, subscribers receive priority treatment over the general public during emergencies and training.

Once a user gains authorized access, the caller receives priority in the public network - their GETS call is moved automatically to the first available free line and is exempt from typical network management controls that telephone carriers place on their networks to control the flow of calls during periods of congestion. At the same time, GETS provides this priority access without pre-empting ongoing phone calls. If someone is conducting a normal phone call, a GETS call will not disrupt or cancel a call already in progress.

“GETS is designed to make maximum use of all available telephone resources when congestion and outages occur, whatever the emergency may be,” said Vernon Mosley, chief engineer for GETS and WPS. “Whether it is a terrorist attack, a natural disaster or a regional or local event, GETS facilitates NS/EP communications so that national security and emergency responders can effectively communicate and efficiently respond.”

The NCS encourages its nearly 180,000 GETS users to make test calls monthly and become very familiar with the process for accessing the service. Subscribers can call the GETS familiarization line number located on the back of their GETS card to test their access and have their test documented. According to both Suraci and Mosley, it is extremely important that cardholders conduct frequent tests to ensure they’re ready to the use GETS in an actual emergency.

Agencies and individuals can receive subscription information to GETS online at http://gets.ncs.gov. There is no initial sign-up fee or monthly recurring charge to the users associated with this program. State and local emergency officials who enroll in the program must obtain NCS sponsorship to receive a GETS card. Further eligibility details can be found on-line.

Priority on Cell Phones
WPS is the wireless companion to the GETS program and provides national security and emergency responders with similar priority treatment when they experience high levels of congestion when dialing from their cell phones. WPS provides priority for calls originated from cell phones through a combination of special cellular network features and provides the same “high probability of completion” capability used by GETS.
Most importantly, WPS addresses congestion in their local area -- often the reason why cellular calls cannot be completed during heavy calling periods or when damage to network infrastructure occurs.

In emergency situations that involve damaged landline networks, cellular telephones often provide the primary means of communication, increasing congestion even further. WPS allows authorized personnel to gain access to the next available wireless radio channel in order to initiate calls during an emergency. Subscribers can invoke the WPS service by dialing a unique access code before entering their destination number.
WPS, when used in conjunction with GETS, ensures priority treatment in both the landline and wireless portions of the public telephone network. This ensures wireless callers the highest possibility of end-to-end call completion. The use of WPS and GETS assures to the greatest extent possible that national security and emergency responders get connected and stay connected to one another.

Since September 11, 2001, DHS -- through the National Communications Systems and its private sector partnerships -- has worked aggressively to develop and enhance the Governments ability to obtain Wireless Priority Service. Early in 2002, NCS worked with the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City to pilot the capability. Later that same year, NCS partnered with the cities of Washington, DC and New York to deploy the next phase of the program. These efforts lead to a nationwide service deployment by the end of 2002. The program has been enhanced and secured since that time and currently has nearly 70,000 subscribers nationwide.

Currently, NCS partners with the following communications carriers to provide WPS service to emergency responders: AT&T Mobility, Edge Wireless, Sprint/Nextel, SouthernLINC, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. An additional major cellular carrier will be added in April.

The user costs for WPS will not exceed a $10, one-time activation fee, a $4.50 per month service fee, and 75 cents per minute when it is used. WPS charges are in addition to the basic subscription charges of the carrier. Additional service information and application forms can be accessed through the WPS website at http://wps.ncs.gov.

“GETS and WPS have been instrumental in maintaining essential communications during many disasters,” said Mosley. “With GETS currently serving nearly 180,000 users and WPS serving over 69,000 users, it is evident that these priority services are vital to our Nation’s emergency response.”

Questions, please…
The NS/EP Priority Telecommunications Services Support Center provides information for all NCS services and can be reached at 866-NCS-CALL (866-627-2255) or 703-760-2255. Staff will provide help-desk assistance for user support, subscriptions, and operational questions. Normal hours off operation are Monday through Friday 8:00am to 6:00pm Eastern Time. Information about the priority services is also available online at http://www.ncs.gov. You may also e-mail questions on GETS and WPS to gets@dhs.gov.

About the NCS
President John F. Kennedy formed the NCS in 1963 in response to communications deficiencies realized during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Since that time, NCS has grown in function and scope. Originally, the NCS mission was to eliminate deficiencies in the nation’s communications network supporting the President and other key decision makers and government officials.

Today, the NCS - comprised of 24 Federal departments and agencies - assists the President, the National Security Council, the Director of Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the Homeland Security Council in ensuring a national telecommunications infrastructure is responsive to the national security and emergency preparedness needs of the President and the Federal departments, agencies and other entities under all conditions.

\As part of this important mission, the NCS provides priority telecommunications services, coordination and information-sharing operations, and other related programs to support NS/EP efforts across all levels of government, critical infrastructure industries, and other authorized emergency response organizations

The NCS is able to provide priority communications through the joint effort of Federal Government entities and the nation’s communications equipment manufacturers and service providers. Together, both sides work to develop ways to enhance emergency response communications on the public telephone network.

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