(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Director
for Emergency Communications, and in cooperation with the
Department of National Communications System (as appropriate),
shall, in cooperation with State, local, and tribal
governments, Federal departments and agencies, emergency
response providers, and the private sector, develop not later
than 180 days after the completion of the baseline assessment
under section 1803, and periodically update, a National
Emergency Communications Plan to provide recommendations
regarding how the United States should--
(1) support and promote the ability of emergency
response providers and relevant government officials to
continue to communicate in the event of natural
disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made
disasters; and
(2) ensure, accelerate, and attain interoperable
emergency communications nationwide.
(b) Coordination.--The Emergency Communications
Preparedness Center under section 1806 shall coordinate the
development of the Federal aspects of the National Emergency
Communications Plan.
(c) Contents.--The National Emergency Communications Plan
shall--
(1) include recommendations developed in
consultation with the Federal Communications Commission
and the National Institute of Standards and Technology
for a process for expediting national voluntary
consensus standards for emergency communications
equipment for the purchase and use by public safety
agencies of interoperable emergency communications
equipment and technologies;
(2) identify the appropriate capabilities necessary
for emergency response providers and relevant
government officials to continue to communicate in the
event of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and
other man-made disasters;
(3) identify the appropriate interoperable
emergency communications capabilities necessary for
Federal, State, local, and tribal governments in the
event of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and
other man-made disasters;
(4) recommend both short-term and long-term
solutions for ensuring that emergency response
providers and relevant government officials can
continue to communicate in the event of natural
disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made
disasters;
(5) recommend both short-term and long-term
solutions for deploying interoperable emergency
communications systems for Federal, State, local, and
tribal governments throughout the Nation, including
through the provision of existing and emerging
technologies;
(6) identify how Federal departments and agencies
that respond to natural disasters, acts of terrorism,
and other man-made disasters can work effectively with
State, local, and tribal governments, in all States,
and with other entities;
(7) identify obstacles to deploying interoperable
emergency communications capabilities nationwide and
recommend short-term and long-term measures to overcome
those obstacles, including recommendations for
multijurisdictional coordination among Federal, State,
local, and tribal governments;
(8) recommend goals and timeframes for the
deployment of emergency, command-level communications
systems based on new and existing equipment across the
United States and develop a timetable for the
deployment of interoperable emergency communications
systems nationwide;
(9) recommend appropriate measures that emergency
response providers should employ to ensure the
continued operation of relevant governmental
communications infrastructure in the event of natural
disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made
disasters; and
(10) set a date, including interim benchmarks, as
appropriate, by which State, local, and tribal
governments, Federal departments and agencies, and
emergency response providers expect to achieve a
baseline level of national interoperable
communications, as that term is defined under section
7303(g)(1) of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism
Prevention Act of 2004 (6 U.S.C. 194(g)(1)).