Washington - May 18, 2007 - The FCC is in the process of implementing the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS), a system that help the government respond to disasters by providing the necessary materials and supplies for communications needs where they are needed most. The program was established following the lessons learned after Hurricane Katrina. The new system will serve as a focal point for information on the condition of communications infrastructure in affected areas.

DIRS will only be activated for catastrophic situations. As part of the implementation, May 23 has been designated as the training day for broadcasters. The voluntary program is designed to allow broadcasters to report outages during major disasters to the FCC and also request relief (generators, fuel shortages, access problems) from the Commission. The training session will cover the disaster reporting process in general but particularly DIRS. Procedures for getting contact information will also be discussed.

To access the conference call, register by contacting John Healy at john.healy@fcc.gov or 202-418-2448. The conference call is scheduled to run from for 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET on May 23.