Emergency Communications

The RERC's App Factory is holding open its 2013-14 Call for Proposals until October 8. Interested app developers can view the PDF below for proposal requirements or view the App Factory RFP webpage.

August 2013 — In honor of 2013 International Day for Disaster Reduction, “Living with Disability and Disasters,” the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) released a survey “to ascertain the needs of persons living with disabilities and disasters.”  Through the survey, UNISDR hopes to capture the critical needs of people with disabilities, and ensure these needs are met by the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), “the global disaster risk reduction plan that was adopted in 2005.”  The UNISDR and FEMA’s Office of Disability Integration and Coordination are urging all people

August 2013 - The Wireless RERC filed reply comments with the FCC in response to their Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: In the Matter of Accessibility of Emergency Information and Apparatus Requirements for Emergency Information and Video Description: Implementation of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 [MB Docket No. 12-107].

August 2013 — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) announced that the two organizations will partner to ensure that older Americans have better access to service and resources for emergency preparedness, response and recovery. The new effort will include expanded “social media outreach, and training and exercise, and evaluation opportunities.” Although, AARP has historically implemented emergency preparedness and response programs, the organization hopes the partnership will expand their role in the community.

The purpose of this survey is to learn how young people (age 13-25) use wireless technology, and how this technology impacts their lives. The survey mainly focuses on cellphones, but also includes questions about other types of devices like tablet computers such as Apple's iPad, Amazon's Kindle Fire and other similar devices.