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FCC preps for communications during an emergency

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Anniversary of 9-11 prompts security concerns

9/9/2009–

As we approach the 8th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the federal government is continuing to work on improving the nation's response to the next natural -- or man-made -- emergency.

Officials at the Federal Communications Commission are mapping out plans to keep the nation's lines of communcation up and running in case something happens.
Federal News Radio's Max Cacas is just back from a briefing at FCC headquarters in southwest D.C., and fills us in: 

http://media.bonnint.net/wtop/16/1634/163487.mp3

Current threat condition is YELLOW

For International Flights threat condition is ORANGE

  • Homeland Security Threat Advisories contain actionable information about an incident involving, or a threat targeting, critical national networks or infrastructures or key assets.
  • Homeland Security Information Bulletins communicate information of interest to the nation’s critical infrastructures that do not meet the timeliness, specificity, or significance thresholds of warning messages.
  • Color-coded Threat Level System is used to communicate with public safety officials and the public at-large through a threat-based, color-coded system so that protective measures can be implemented to reduce the likelihood or impact of an attack.

This system was established in Homeland Security Presidential Directive 3.