(a) Baseline Assessment.--Not later than 1 year after the
date of enactment of this section and not less than every 5
years thereafter, the Secretary, acting through the Director
for Emergency Communications, shall conduct an assessment of
Federal, State, local, and tribal governments that--
(1) defines the range of capabilities needed by
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;
(2) defines the range of interoperable emergency
communications capabilities needed for specific events;
(3) assesses the current available capabilities to
meet such communications needs;
(4) identifies the gap between such current
capabilities and defined requirements; and
(5) includes a national interoperable emergency
communications inventory to be completed by the
Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of
Commerce, and the Chairman of the Federal
Communications Commission that--
(A) identifies for each Federal department
and agency--
(i) the channels and frequencies
used;
(ii) the nomenclature used to refer
to each channel or frequency used; and
(iii) the types of communications
systems and equipment used; and
(B) identifies the interoperable emergency
communications systems in use by public safety
agencies in the United States.
(b) Classified Annex.--The baseline assessment under this
section may include a classified annex including information
provided under subsection (a)(5)(A).
(c) Savings Clause.--In conducting the baseline assessment
under this section, the Secretary may incorporate findings from
assessments conducted before, or ongoing on, the date of
enactment of this title.
(d) Progress Reports.--Not later than one year after the
date of enactment of this section and biennially thereafter,
the Secretary, acting through the Director for Emergency
Communications, shall submit to Congress a report on the
progress of the Department in achieving the goals of, and
carrying out its responsibilities under, this title,
including--
(1) a description of the findings of the most
recent baseline assessment conducted under subsection
(a);
(2) a determination of the degree to which
interoperable emergency communications capabilities
have been attained to date and the gaps that remain for
interoperability to be achieved;
(3) an evaluation of the ability to continue to
communicate and to provide and maintain interoperable
emergency communications by emergency managers,
emergency response providers, and relevant government
officials in the event of--
(A) natural disasters, acts of terrorism,
or other man-made disasters, including
Incidents of National Significance declared by
the Secretary under the National Response Plan;
and
(B) a catastrophic loss of local and
regional communications services;
(4) a list of best practices relating to the
ability to continue to communicate and to provide and
maintain interoperable emergency communications in the
event of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other
man-made disasters; and
(A) an evaluation of the feasibility and
desirability of the Department developing, on
its own or in conjunction with the Department
of Defense, a mobile communications capability,
modeled on the Army Signal Corps, that could be
deployed to support emergency communications at
the site of natural disasters, acts of
terrorism, or other man-made disasters.
SEC. 1804. [6 U.S.C. 574] COORDINATION OF DEPARTMENT EMERGENCY
COMMUNICATIONS GRANT PROGRAMS.
(a) Coordination of Grants and Standards Programs.--The
Secretary, acting through the Director for Emergency
Communications, shall ensure that grant guidelines for the use
of homeland security assistance administered by the Department
relating to interoperable emergency communications are
coordinated and consistent with the goals and recommendations
in the National Emergency Communications Plan under section
1802.
(b) Denial of Eligibility for Grants.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the
Assistant Secretary for Grants and Planning, and in
consultation with the Director for Emergency
Communications, may prohibit any State, local, or
tribal government from using homeland security
assistance administered by the Department to achieve,
maintain, or enhance emergency communications
capabilities, if--
(A) such government has not complied with
the requirement to submit a Statewide
Interoperable Communications Plan as required
by section 7303(f) of the Intelligence Reform
and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (6 U.S.C.
194(f));
(B) such government has proposed to upgrade
or purchase new equipment or systems that do
not meet or exceed any applicable national
voluntary consensus standards and has not
provided a reasonable explanation of why such
equipment or systems will serve the needs of
the applicant better than equipment or systems
that meet or exceed such standards; and
(C) as of the date that is 3 years after
the date of the completion of the initial
National Emergency Communications Plan under
section 1802, national voluntary consensus
standards for interoperable emergency
communications capabilities have not been
developed and promulgated.
(2) Standards.--The Secretary, in coordination with
the Federal Communications Commission, the National
Institute of Standards and Technology, and other
Federal departments and agencies with responsibility
for standards, shall support the development,
promulgation, and updating as necessary of national
voluntary consensus standards for interoperable
emergency communications.
SEC. 1805. [6 U.S.C. 575] REGIONAL EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
COORDINATION.
(a) In General.--There is established in each Regional
Office a Regional Emergency Communications Coordination Working
Group (in this section referred to as an ``RECC Working
Group''). Each RECC Working Group shall report to the relevant
Regional Administrator and coordinate its activities with the
relevant Regional Advisory Council.
(b) Membership.--Each RECC Working Group shall consist of
the following:
(1) Non-federal.--Organizations representing the
interests of the following:
(A) State officials.
(B) Local government officials, including
sheriffs.
(C) State police departments.
(D) Local police departments.
(E) Local fire departments.
(F) Public safety answering points (9-1-1
services).
(G) State emergency managers, homeland
security directors, or representatives of State
Administrative Agencies.
(H) Local emergency managers or homeland
security directors.
(I) Other emergency response providers as
appropriate.
(2) Federal.--Representatives from the Department,
the Federal Communications Commission, and other
Federal departments and agencies with responsibility
for coordinating interoperable emergency communications
with or providing emergency support services to State,
local, and tribal governments.
(c) Coordination.--Each RECC Working Group shall coordinate
its activities with the following:
(1) Communications equipment manufacturers and
vendors (including broadband data service providers).
(2) Local exchange carriers.
(3) Local broadcast media.
(4) Wireless carriers.
(5) Satellite communications services.
(6) Cable operators.
(7) Hospitals.
(8) Public utility services.
(9) Emergency evacuation transit services.
(10) Ambulance services.
(11) HAM and amateur radio operators.
(12) Representatives from other private sector
entities and nongovernmental organizations as the
Regional Administrator determines appropriate.
(d) Duties.--The duties of each RECC Working Group shall
include--
(1) assessing the survivability, sustainability,
and interoperability of local emergency communications
systems to meet the goals of the National Emergency
Communications Plan;
(2) reporting annually to the relevant Regional
Administrator, the Director for Emergency
Communications, the Chairman of the Federal
Communications Commission, and the Assistant Secretary
for Communications and Information of the Department of
Commerce on the status of its region in building robust
and sustainable interoperable voice and data emergency
communications networks and, not later than 60 days
after the completion of the initial National Emergency
Communications Plan under section 1802, on the progress
of the region in meeting the goals of such plan;
(3) ensuring a process for the coordination of
effective multijurisdictional, multi-agency emergency
communications networks for use during natural
disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made
disasters through the expanded use of emergency
management and public safety communications mutual aid
agreements; and
(4) coordinating the establishment of Federal,
State, local, and tribal support services and networks
designed to address the immediate and critical human
needs in responding to natural disasters, acts of
terrorism, and other man-made disasters.