Priority Telecommunications Services PTS Office of Emergency Communications

Priority Telecommunications Services (PTS) Office of Emergency Communications February 2018

Office of Emergency Communications: Mission • OEC provides and manages communications capabilities used by emergency responders and government officials to keep America safe, secure, and resilient. Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Problem: Key Personnel May Not Be Able to Communicate at a Critical Moment • Emergency responders and government officials rely on a mix of devices to communicate during an emergency: – – – Land mobile radio Cellular Landline Private network Satellite • Commercial networks can become congested due to high call volumes (overload) or limited due to outages Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Overload and Outage Scenarios Mass Calling Events Heavier Than Normal Peak Period Calling Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Overload and Outage Scenarios Scheduled or Spontaneous Events Compromise of Network Infrastructure Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

PTS Services: GETS and WPS GETS WPS Government Emergency Telecommunications Service Wireless Priority Service Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications 7

GETS: Enhances Voice Call Completion When Commercial Networks are Overloaded/Impaired • GETS provides end-to-end priority over landline commercial networks • There are some GETS priority features in WPS-capable cellular networks • Greater than 90% call completion rates • Over 345, 000 GETS cards issued Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

GETS Provides Priority Across Networks to the Destination Landline Phone Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

GETS Provides Priority Across Networks to the Destination Cellular Phone Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

How GETS Works Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

GETS Information on Back of Card Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Wireless Priority Service (WPS) Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications 13

WPS: Enhances Call Completion When Cellular Networks are Overloaded/Impaired • WPS is an add-on feature to existing cellular service • WPS provides priority on the radio connection between the user’s cellular device and the cell tower, and provides priority processing in the core wireless networks • Available on all nationwide and some regional cellular carriers • Provides greater than 85% call completion rates • There are over 153, 000 WPS users Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

How WPS Works Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Who Should Have GETS and WPS? Individuals ►Mayors, council members, supervisors ►Tribal Leadership ►CFO ►Media relations ►OEM mgmt. and staff ►Police/Fire Chiefs and staff ►Police/Fire field command ►Dept heads and staff ►SMEs and trained specialists ►Individuals with an NS/EP role Homeland Security Locations/Function s Organizations ►Cities/counties/ states/districts ►Tribes/territories ►Office of Emergency Management ►Police/sheriff/fire water and power and telecom ►Public works ►Irrigation districts and flood control ►Public health ►Financial institutions ►Hospitals and medical services ►Transit agencies ►Ports and airports ►Utilities, transportation, and other industries ►Search and rescue ►School and college districts ►Red Cross and volunteer agencies ►Critical infrastructure suppliers ►Other agencies included in county emergency management plans ►EOC work stations ►Back-up EOC ►City, county, and tribal operations centers ►PSAPs (911 centers) ►Computer/IT center ►Police/fire dispatch ►City, county, and tribal yards ►Remote offices and stations ►Power and pump stations ►Shelters ►Command vehicles Office of Cybersecurity and Communications 16

GETS and WPS Performance Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications 17

Hurricane Irma – Event Analysis • Emergency Performance Reporting - 9/5 to 9/15 (GETS & WPS) 3719 GETS Calls Completed 3859 WPS Calls Completed Source: C. Somodevilla/Getty Images • Power outages/disrupted telecomms - Over 2. 6 million homes in Fl without power on evening of Sep 10, eventually 6 M w/o power - Battery backup power for cell phone towers ran out and backup generators ran out of fuel - At one point 89 of 108 (82%) cell towers were non-functioning in the Florida Keys - More than 7 million lost cable/wireline telecom Hurricane Irma does damage in Florida 98% 93% • Expedited Activations: WPS GETS Homeland Security 2445 146 Office of Cybersecurity and Communications 18

Hurricane Harvey, August 2017 “We were outside of Corpus Christi making our way to Rockford trying to contact the Texas Department of Transportation to find fuel. We tried with regular calls and it didn't work, then we put in the [WPS] access code, and it worked. Wherever there was cell coverage, we were able to get through with WPS. " Michael Cayse Ohio Task Force One FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Branch Department of Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Implementing GETS and WPS in Your Organization Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications 20

Requesting GETS and WPS STEP 1: Designate a GETS/WPS Point of Contact (POC) for your organization STEP 2: POC establishes GETS and WPS account online using www. dhs. gov/gets or www. dhs. gov/wps or by contacting the Priority Telecommunications Service Center at 1 -866 -627 -2255 STEP 3: After account is established, POC requests GETS and WPS for an initial group of users/key functions/locations through the online system • POC distributes GETS Cards and confirms WPS activations • POC keeps account updated (adding and deleting users, updating administrative information) BEST PRACTICE: designate alternate POCs! Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

GETS and WPS Best Practices • Distribute GETS Cards • ALWAYS carry your GETS Card with you • Ensure WPS has been activated on your cell phone • Make practice/test calls periodically and include GETS/WPS in training exercises • Preprogram *272 for key numbers in your contact list • Preprogram GETS number in cell phones • Report problems you have when trying to make a WPS call during testing and training exercises Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications 23

Critical Services May Experience Outages • Damaged facilities and service problems can disable communications! – Emergency Operations Center – 911 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) – IT Center Homeland Security – Critical Facilities – Telecommunications Service Providers Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

TSP: Solution for Repair of Damaged Circuits or Expediting Installation of New Circuits • Established in November 1988 by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Report and Order FCC 88 -341 • TSP is a mandatory requirement for all FCCregulated telecommunications companies • Tariffed rates are approved by state utility regulators • The FCC mandates that carriers restore TSP-coded circuits before circuits under Service Level Agreements (SLAs) Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Circumstances to Apply TSP • TSP provides priority repair or expedited installation of critical voice and data circuits: – Repair and replacement of damaged circuits at EOCs, hospitals, PSAPs, power facilities, government headquarters, financial institutions, etc. – Priority installation of new circuits when needed to support operations such as disaster response and recovery, and large scale security events Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Requesting TSP • Request a TSP Account (TSP “POC”) online using www. dhs. gov/tsp or through the Priority Telecommunications Service Center at 1 -866 -6272255 • Identify specific services for TSP; Submit TSP Service Request(s) on a per service basis • Upon approval, the Service Center sends TSP Code for each specific service • Order TSP thru your service vendor • Update internal records and procedures to reflect implementation of TSP Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Budgeting for Priority Services • GETS – There is no charge to subscribe to or use GETS. (The OEC reserves the right to bill for all GETS calls, but to date they have never charged. ) • WPS – Service Providers MAY charge a one time $10. 00 activation fee, a maximum of $4. 50/month for each subscribed cellular device, and $0. 75/minute • TSP – No charge for TSP Code; each Circuit will have an applicable rate established by your service provider Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

WPS Carrier Subscription and Usage Fees WPS Feature Activation Fee (one time) AT&T Mobility Cellcom C Spire GCI Southern Linc Sprint T-Mobile Verizon Wireless U. S. Cellular 0 0 $10. 00 0 0 up to $10. 00 * 0 WPS Service Fee (monthly recurring) $1. 99 for new service contracts after Jan 2010 0 0 0 up to $4. 50 * 0 WPS Usage Fee $. 75 per minute of use 0 0 $. 75 per minute of use* $. 75 per minute of use * VZW waives fees for public sector (Fed plus SLTT) and bills fees for private sector (industry and consumer) Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications 30

Resources • Colleen Wright (PTS Area Representative) (202) 499 -9800 or colleen. wright@associates. hq. dhs. gov • Web Sites: – www. dhs. gov/gets – www. dhs. gov/wps – www. dhs. gov/tsp • DHS Priority Telecommunications Service Center: – 1 -866 -627 -2255 – Monday–Friday, 8 am– 6 pm EST – Follow voice prompts for GETS, WPS or TSP Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications

Homeland Security Office of Cybersecurity and Communications