Telecommunications Service Priority Cristin Flynn Goodwin Director, Homeland Security & Strategic Policy February 17, 2005

Service Provider Perspectives on TSP What’s In It For Me? Service Provider Actions A Technician’s View Provider to Provider Communications What TSP Is Not Future Issues and Goals

What’s In It For Me? Core Component of Business Continuity Plans –Ensures priority restoration of critical circuits –Prioritizes installation for new circuits (i.e., backup facilities, alternate facilities) When it can’t afford to wait –Wait times for non-TSP circuits in NYC following 9/11 were upwards of 2 months –Eliminate weeks of wait following large natural disasters Applies to circuits and services –Works for voice, data, whatever is needed

Service Provider Actions Customer provides purchase order with TSP code to Account Manager Information enters BellSouth system TSPs are handled before other orders are processed TSP Program Manager and Account Representative follow order process Customer accepts order, item closed

How Technicians Know To React

Provider to Provider Coordination In most cases, more than 1 service provider involved –Primary vendor, sub-contractor All large Service Providers have 24hr. Points of contact to resolve TSP issues as they arise Policy issues addressed at TSP Oversight Committee –Involves Office of Priority Telecom, FCC, NCS –All major Service Providers Long history of cooperation and coordination to serve national security and emergency preparedness issues

What TSP Is Not TSP is not available after a crisis has started TSP is not a “rush” for regular service orders TSP is not a guarantee that service is never impacted TSP is not a substitute for good business continuity planning – it’s a component of the plan TSP is only designed to provide priority provisioning or restoration of a circuit

Future Issues and Goals Increase awareness on importance of TSP Educate customers to provide purchase orders to account representatives Develop process to review TSP code grants with FCC, NCS, OPT Develop process to appeal denial of TSP codes on behalf of customers Develop processes to enhance government to industry database interaction