Operations at the FCC have not gone unaffected by the enormous winter storm that has slammed the Washington, D.C., area and prompted a government shut down
The FCC already has postponed a forum on the creation of an emergency response interoperability center for public safety broadband communications and it is unclear whether the storm will clear in time for the agency’s open commission meeting on Thursday morning.
An FCC spokesman said some employees worked from home today while a few managed to make it into the office. Many federal workers depend on public transportation to get to work.
Many trains that run above ground were operating on a limited basis due to the snow, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority warned riders that the storm would likely cause reduced bus service as road conditions deteriorate. Some areas of the Mid-Atlantic region have been hit with as much as three feet of snow.
The Public Safety Forum, which was to have been held Wednesday afternoon, sought comments about the need for better coordination and cooperation among public safety agencies to achieve broadband interoperability.
The forum planned to examine the creation of an emergency response interoperability center to develop common standards for interoperability and operating procedures. The agency plans to reschedule the forum in the “near future.”
The FCC’s open commission meeting on Thursday will also include a report on the status of the National Broadband Plan, which was delayed until March 17 after officials said they needed an extra month to process data and public comments.
The plan is expected to include an overhaul of the Universal Service Fund (USF) and a focus on improved access to broadband Internet.
The government’s Office of Personnel Management has not yet reported how long the shutdown of the U.S. government will last. The Washington, D.C., area is under a winter storm warning until 7 p.m. EST Wednesday. The area is expected to get an inch of snow today with an additional four to eight inches accumulating overnight.