Greg Andreas, general manager of Ponderosa Telephone (O’Neals, Calif.), today testified before the House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands on critical disaster recovery efforts to restore telecommunications infrastructure in remote and underserved areas.
Andreas shared his experiences managing the recovery and restoration of communications networks following several natural disasters. Andreas also highlighted the importance of H.R. 1655, the “Wildfire Communications Resiliency Act,” which would expedite the environmental and historical review processes to ensure that networks are back up and running after a catastrophic wildfire.
“While these processes are cumbersome under normal circumstances, in the wake of a wildfire, they can lead to significant delays as companies like Ponderosa work to reconnect their communities to the outside world,” he said. “In the aftermath of a wildfire, quickly restoring and rebuilding communication infrastructure is essential to reconnect communities, support emergency services and enable recovery efforts. Any effort to streamline these processes as communities recover from wildfires is essential.”
Andreas’ full testimony can be viewed on the committee’s website.