The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is actively exploring the potential use of aerial communications technologies to provide emergency communications during or immediately after a major disaster in which land-based communications systems have been damaged or destroyed.
Technology based on deployable aerial communications architecture (DACA) would rely on state-of-the-art communications systems positioned on aerial platforms, such as manned aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and balloons, capabilities that are already available for military operations. The Commission believes that a DACA-based backup plan could play a vital link in restoring critical communications in the first 72 hours following a natural or man-made disaster.
In a Notice of Inquiry issued in May 2012, the Commission solicited public comments on issues related to the deployment and operation of DACA technologies, and the associated cost and benefits. The Commission also sought comment on how best to coordinate and manage the use of DACA technologies, and what steps should be taken to provide spectrum to support their operation.
The Commission’s Notice of Inquiry on DACA technologies follows the publication of an FCC white paper earlier this year entitled “The Role of Deployable Aerial Communications Architecture in Emergency Communications and Recommended Next Steps”, which offers an in-depth analysis of DACA technologies and their potential benefits in providing emergency communications.
Read the complete text of the Commission’s Notice of Inquiry on the use of DACA technologies.
Read the Commission’s DACA white paper.
