TELECOM INDUSTRY SAYS INFRASTRUCTURE TOUGH TO ACCESS AFTER 9/11
Access control was major obstacle for many who were part of telecom restoration effort that followed terrorist acts of Sept. 11, said members of “Sept. 11: IT Lessons Learned” panel at AFCEA conference in Washington Wed. on Homeland Security. There were at least 4 changes to policy and procedures involved with gaining access to facilities in controlled areas in N.Y.C., said Brenton Greene, deputy mgr., National Communications System. Greene said N.Y. city police initially controlled access, until duty was turned over to N.Y. State police. After that, access control changed hands between National Guard and FEMA, making it difficult for some involved in restoration effort, he said: “There were significant changes in procedures… Access procedures need to be consistent.”
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
Escort requirements were very inconsistent, said Richard Price, vp-field operations, WorldCom Govt. Markets. “Verizon trucks had all access,” he said. “If you were in a WorldCom van, you couldn’t get through.” Badging system put in place 6 days after tragedy, “worked well,” but until then, there was lot of convincing people you were where you were supposed to be, Price said. Specifically, Price alluded to access difficulty fuel truck faced when it was sent to refuel generators used to support company’s backup capabilities.
Personnel from many companies stepped forward to help during aftermath of tragedy, said Bruce Fleming, divisional technology officer, Verizon. Verizon lost its primary power, and its backup power began to fade, he said causing company to lose switching capabilities. There was more than 3 feet of water in Verizon building located next to World Trade Center, Fleming said. Company brought in diesel generators and air compressors, helping it pump out 10 million gallons of water in 10 days, he said.
Fleming said vendor relations played significant role in success of restoration of telecom infrastructure in N.Y., calling help company received from others in industry “patriotic acts.” Many of Verizon’s engineering records are housed in its damaged hq at 140 West St. in N.Y. Lucent also keeps those records and its employees were able to provide information on equipment configuration when Verizon employees were evacuated or had difficulty gaining access to the building. “That kind of response shows what America is made of,” Fleming said. Lucent also sent vital Switch on Wheels (SOW) from Atlanta to N.Y. on 1 day’s notice, company executives said.
Lucent supported Verizon, especially in its efforts to open the N.Y. Stock Exchange as quickly as possible and to enhance wireless capabilities that had been affected because of water saturation at Verizon hq, said Gregory Butler, vp, program management, Lucent. Companies faced many obstacles, including, structural damage, dust and debris, he said: “Our equipment doesn’t work well with water and environmental pollution.” While airlines were shut down during days following terrorist attacks, company contacted all its manufacturers and suppliers, completed quick inventory and shut down all shipments to customer list, he said. Shipments were newly prioritized based on govt. and Verizon needs to support effort in N.Y.
Govt. Emergency Communications System (GETS) was one of major programs that came into play on Sept. 11, said Brenton Greene, deputy mgr., National Communications System. GETS helped key emergency responders and govt. officials make over 10,000 phone calls with 95% completion rate while many struggled to get through on saturated telephone networks. AT&T network had over 100 million more calls than they had ever seen in one day before, Greene said. Through GETS, 45,000 calling cards have already been issued, of which 1,500 were accessed during restoration effort. System is not yet in place for wireless phone systems, but plans for that are in works, Greene said: “One of the top priorities is to put a wireless GETS into place.”
On-scene challenges were major obstacle for WorldCom, Price said. Company had to assess what additional buildings might be toppled, along with fire hazards, gas, and air quality issues, specifically asbestos monitoring, he said. WorldCom’s Major Emergency Response Incident Team (MERIT) is specially trained for HAZMAT environments, Price said. Team members are made of technicians, engineers and other personnel with multiple operating capabilities and skill sets that can work in HAZMAT suits, designed with in-suit communications, he said.
Consultant Shirley Menish, compared “brave efforts” of those in telecom industry with firefighters and police officers that helped in rescue and recovery effort. National security should be important part of telecommunication industry’s priority, and threat scenarios have changed, Fleming said: “There are a whole new variety of threats [to the telecommunications infrastructure]… It’s precious and should be well protected.”