WASHINGTON 

The Federal Communications Commission issued the following public notice:

On February 12, 2013, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) opened nominations and expressions of interest for membership on the rechartered Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC or Council), a federal advisory committee that provides recommendations to the Commission on ways it can improve the security, reliability, and interoperability of the nation’s communications systems. The original deadline for nominations and expressions of interest was March 20, 2013. By this Public Notice, the deadline to submit nominations and expressions of interest is extended to April 12, 2013. There is no change in the procedures for submitting nominations and expressions of interest, which are set forth below.

NOMINATIONS/EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST PROCEDURES AND EXTENDED DEADLINE

Nominations should be received by the Commission as soon as possible, but no later than April 12, 2013. Nominations received after this date may not be considered. Organizations should nominate their Chief Executive Officer, Chief Technical Officer, or other senior-level officer. Registered federal lobbyists pursuant to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible for membership on the Council and will not be considered. There is no specific nomination form; however, each nomination must include the following information:

* Name, title, and organization of the nominee and a description of the organization, sector, or other interest the nominee will represent;

* Nominee’s mailing address, e-mail address, telephone number, and facsimile number;

* A statement summarizing the nominee’s qualifications and reasons why the nominee should be appointed to the CSRIC. To the extent the nominee will represent a specific organization, the statement should also include a description of the organization and an explanation of the benefit of having the organization represented on the Council; and

* A statement confirming that the nominee is not a registered federal lobbyist.

Please note this Notice is not intended to be the exclusive method by which the Commission will solicit nominations and expressions of interest to identify qualified candidates; however, all candidates for membership on the Council will be subject to the same evaluation criteria.

Nominations should be sent to Lisa M. Fowlkes, Deputy Bureau Chief, Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau, Federal Communications Commission, via e-mail at lisa.fowlkes@fcc.gov; via facsimile at 202-418-2817; or via U.S. mail at 445 12th Street, SW, Room 7-C753, Washington, DC 20554. Because of the extensive security screening of incoming U.S. mail, delivery of U.S. mail sent to the Commission may be delayed, and we encourage submission by e-mail or facsimile.

CSRIC MISSION

The duties of the Council will be to make recommendations to the FCC regarding actions it can take to promote communications security, reliability, and resiliency. The duties of the Council may include:

a. Developing and recommending to the FCC best practices and actions it can take that promote reliable communications services, including 911, Enhanced 911, and Next Generation 911 service.

b. Developing and recommending to the FCC best practices and actions it can take to improve the security of networks and mobile devices.

c. Identifying and recommending to the FCC a set of best practices to make communications networks, including broadband networks and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems, more secure and resilient.

d. Developing recommendations for actions the FCC should take to enhance the ability of the public to receive timely and accurate emergency alerts and warnings, including ways to leverage advanced communications technologies and the Internet, including broadband technologies and social media platforms.

e. Make recommendations with respect to such additional topics as the FCC may specify.

MEMBERSHIP

Members of the Council will be appointed from among Federal, state, tribal, and local government agencies and organizations; organizations representing users of communications systems, including the Internet; and other private-sector organizations to balance the expertise and viewpoints that are necessary to effectively address the issues to be considered. The Commission is particularly interested in receiving nominations and expressions of interest from individuals and organizations in the following categories:

* State, tribal, and/or local government agencies and organizations with expertise in communications issues;

* Federal government agencies with expertise in communications and/or homeland security matters;

* Communications service providers and organizations representing communications service providers, including wireline and wireless communications service providers, broadcast radio and television licensees, cable television operators and other multichannel video programming distributors, satellite communications service providers, interconnected VoIP and other IP-enabled service providers, and Internet Service Providers.

* Online retailers, online technology service providers, Internet security companies, and other providers of online services.

* Developers of software applications and operating systems for mobile and desktop computing devices, including developers of security applications for such platforms.

* Developers of mobile devices.

* Organizations and other entities representing users of communications systems, such as organizations representing the business, finance, energy, education, health care, and similar sectors and consumer or community organizations, such as those representing people with disabilities, the elderly, those living in rural areas, and those representing populations that speak, as their primary language, languages other than English.

* Qualified representatives of other stakeholders and interested parties with relevant expertise.

Each member of the new CSRIC will be appointed either as a representative of an organization or as a Special Government Employee, as appropriate.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa M. Fowlkes, Deputy Chief, Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau, (202) 418-7452 (voice) or lisa.fowlkes@fcc.gov (e-mail) or Jeffery Goldthorp, Associate Chief for Cybersecurity and Communications Reliability, Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau, (202) 418-1096 (voice) or jeffery.goldthorp@fcc.gov (e-mail).

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