More Fiber in your Diet
Richard Krock
National Conference on Emergency Communications
Systems
December 12, 2005
Issues and Problems of Terrestrial Systems
ter·res·tri·al
1. Of or relating to the earth
2. Having a worldly, mundane character or quality.
3. Living or growing on land; not aquatic
Antonyms: cosmic, heavenly, otherworldly
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Disaster Events
 Hinsdale Fire
 September 11
 Recent Hurricanes
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Illinois Bell Switching Center Fires
1929 – Downtown Chicago
1946 – River Grove
1988 - Hinsdale
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Hinsdale Fire
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May 7, 1988 - Logical Interconnection
C1
G
A
C2
C3
B
C4
HINS
D
C5
C6
E
F
C7
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May 7, 1988 - Physical Interconnection
C1
G
A
C2
C3
B
C4
HINS
D
C5
C6
E
F
C7
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May 8,1988 – Lack of Interconnection
C1
G
A
C2
C3
B
C4
D
C5
C6
E
F
C7
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September 11
 Difficulty in Maintaining Diversity
– Utilizing multiple carriers does not assure diversity
 Importance of wireless communication in an
emergency
– Radio systems may have interoperability issues – cell
phones don’t
– Importance of text messaging
– Wireless Emergency Response Team (WERT) assisting in
search and rescue
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Hurricanes
 Everything is eventually terrestrial
– Wireless is only wireless from the handset to the cell tower
 You need Power
– Without power, nothing works
– Fuel is a key issue
 You can’t always design for the worst case scenario
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Lessons
 Hinsdale
– Need for physical diversity
 September 11
– Difficulty in Maintaining Diversity
– Importance of wireless communication in an emergency
 Hurricanes
– Everything is eventually terrestrial
– You need Power
– You can’t always design for the worst case scenario
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What to do with Lessons – Learn?
 NSTAC – Network Security Telecommunications
Advisory Committee
– Advises the President on Telecommunications Issues
– Task Forces
• Telecommunications and Electrical Power Interdependency
• Next Generation Networks
 NRSC – Network Reliability Steering Committee
– Recommendations to the industry by the industry
 NRIC – Network Reliability and Interoperability
Council
– Identify industry Best Practices
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NRIC Best Practices
Network Reliability and Interoperability Council
History & Focus
Interoperability
(Telecom Act of ’96)
NRC II
NRIC III
Y2K
Packet
Switching
NRIC IV
NRIC V
1992
Homeland Emergency
Security
Services
NRIC VI
NRIC VII
2005
Systematic
Vulnerability
Assessment
Historic Analogy
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8 Ingredients of a Communications System
Prevention Perspective: Communications Infrastructure
Ingredients
PUBLIC HEALTH
LAW ENFORCEMENT
FINANCIAL
COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE
Power
Environment
Software
Hardware
Payload
Networks
ENERGY
TRANSPORTATION
Other Infrastructures
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Human
Policy
Best Practices, Standards or
Regulations ?
 Regulations
– legal process; technical expertise may be compromised
– speed: S L O W
to adjust
– posture: mandated behavior
 Standards
– competitive process; influence of strongest competitor wins
– speed: M E D I U M t o a d j u s t
– posture: ranges from voluntary to mandated
 Best Practices
– expert process; expertise and experience are trump
– speed: FAST to adjust
– posture: implementation is voluntary
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NRIC Best Practices
 Currently over 800 Best Practices
– Wireline – 777
– Wireless – 753 + 50 new
– Satellite – 749
 Key characteristics of Best Practices
– Do not endorse commercial or specific "pay for"
documents, products or services
– Address classes of problems
– Already implemented
– Developed by industry consensus
– Sufficient rigor and deliberation
 WWW.NRIC.ORG
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Characteristics Of A High Fiber Diet
 The communications network is highly reliable
 Everything is eventually terrestrial
 Must keep an eye on diversity
 The industry continues to identify improvements
 It keeps you regular – which is better than regulated
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