Did I miss a problem: FCC and CISA stress need for access during pandemic

Wed May 27 04:29:55 UTC 2020

Good question -

Of the listed “key points” the first and second, regarding designation as
essential employees, has been explicitly included in the several state and
county orders that I’ve personally read. By no means a complete survey, but
at least some locales are aware of the issue.

The only one that I’ve heard is (anecdotally) a problem is the last one,
regarding permits. E.g. in some cases state, county, and/or local
permitting offices have been operating slower than usual or simply closed.
In some cases because they’re reliant on agents, inspectors, etc, who
aren’t considered essential...

But this seems like more of an issue for new deployments (e.g. 5G masts)
rather than security and/or maintaining existing infrastructure. Not to
diminish the importance of new infrastructure, but it’s a mixed bag - some
of it is about connecting people in need, some of it is driven
predominantly by business / competitive concerns.

I’d be interested to hear others’ experiences if they can illuminate more.

Thanks,
- Benson

On Tue, May 26, 2020 at 21:41 Sean Donelan <sean at donelan.com> wrote:

>
> I have not heard of any problems with access for ISP and communications
> workers in any U.S. state or locality during the pandemic.
>
> Did I miss a big problem requiring the FCC chairman and CISA Director send
> a letter?
>
>
>
>
> https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-cisa-stress-need-communications-industry-access-resources-0
>
>
> Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai and the Cybersecurity
> and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Christopher Krebs
> today sent a letter to the nation’s governors encouraging them to provide
> necessary access and resources to the communications workers helping to
> keep Americans connected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
>
> [...]
>
> The letter includes these key points:
> - Highlights recent guidance from CISA related to the essential critical
> infrastructure workforce and 911 centers during the pandemic
> - Asks that certain communications industry entities and personnel be
> declared essential to the pandemic response and afforded all appropriate
> access and resources
> - Asks that states consider prioritizing the distribution of personal
> protective equipment to communications personnel when available
> - Underscores the role of various communications industry personnel to
> supporting consumers’ remote emergency communications needs
> - Encourages industry and government to work together to prioritize and
> complete communications infrastructure and next generation 911 projects
> - Calls on states to facilitate the maintenance, repair, and provisioning
> of communications infrastructure and services by providing online access
> to relevant government functions, such as the permitting process, where
> not already available electronically.
>
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