1. Purpose and Authority

a. This appendix establishes rules, policies, and procedures and outlines responsibilities for the National Security Emergency Preparedness (NSEP) Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) System. The NSEP TSP System authorizes priority treatment to certain telecommunications services and internet Protocol-based services, including voice, data, and video services, for which provisioning or restoration priority levels are requested, assigned, and approved in accordance with this appendix.

b. This appendix is issued pursuant to sections 1, 4(i), 4(j), 4(n), 201-205, 251(e)(3), 254, 301, 303(b), 303(g), 303(r), 307, 308(a), 309(a), 309(j), 316, 332, 403, 615a-1, 615c, and 706 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, codified at 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i)-(j), (n), 201-205, 251(e)(3), 254, 301, 303(b), 303(g), 303(r), 307, 308(a), 309(a), 309(j), 316, 332, 403, 615a-1, 615c, 606; and Executive Order 13618. These authorities grant to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) the authority over the assignment and approval of priorities for provisioning and restoration of telecommunications services and internet Protocol-based services (NSEP services). Under section 706 of the Communications Act, this authority may be superseded, and the mandatory provisions of this section may be expanded to include non-common carrier telecommunications services, by the war emergency powers of the President of the United States.

c. This appendix establishes rules for provisioning and restoration of NSEP services both before and after invocation of the President's war emergency powers. The rules, regulations, and procedures outlined in this appendix must be applied on a day-to-day basis to all NSEP services that are eligible for TSP so that the priorities they establish can be implemented when the need arises.

2. Definitions

As used in this appendix:

a. Assignment means the designation of priority level(s) for a defined NSEP telecommunications service or internet Protocol-based service for a specified time period.

b. Audit means a quality assurance review in response to identified problems.

c. Government refers to the Federal government or any foreign, state, county, municipal or other local government agency or organization. Specific qualifications will be supplied whenever reference to a particular level of government is intended (e.g., “Federal government,” “state government”). “Foreign government” means any sovereign empire, kingdom, state, or independent political community, including foreign diplomatic and consular establishments and coalitions or associations of governments (e.g., North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Southeast Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO), Organization of American States (OAS), and government agencies or organization (e.g., Pan American Union, International Postal Union, and International Monetary Fund)).

d. Internet Protocol-based services refers to services and applications that feature digital communications capabilities and which generally use the internet Protocol.

e. Invocation Official refers to an individual who (1) understands how the requested service ties to the organization's NSEP mission; (2) is authorized to approve the expenditure of funds necessary for the requested service; and (3) has operational responsibilities for telecommunications procurement and/or management within the organization.

f. National Coordinating Center for Communications (NCC) refers to the joint telecommunications industry-Federal government operation that assists in the initiation, coordination, restoration, and reconstitution of NSEP telecommunications services or facilities.

g. National Security Emergency Preparedness (NSEP) services, or “NSEP services,” means telecommunications services or internet Protocol-based services which are used to maintain a state of readiness or to respond to and manage any event or crisis (local, national, or international), which causes or could cause injury or harm to the population, damage to or loss of property, or degrades or threatens the NSEP posture of the United States. These services fall into two specific categories, Emergency NSEP and Essential NSEP, and are assigned priority levels pursuant to section 8 of this appendix.

h. NSEP treatment refers to the provisioning of a specific NSEP service before others based on the provisioning priority level assigned by DHS.

i. Priority action means assignment, revision, revocation, or revalidation by DHS of a priority level associated with an NSEP service.

j. Priority level means the level that may be assigned to an NSEP service specifying the order in which provisioning or restoration of the service is to occur relative to other NSEP and/or non-NSEP telecommunications services. Priority levels authorized by this appendix are designated highest to lowest: E, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, for provisioning and 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, for restoration.

k. Priority level assignment means the priority level(s) designated for the provisioning and/or restoration of a specific NSEP service under section 8 of this appendix.

l. Private NSEP services include non-common carrier telecommunications services.

m. Promptly means without delay.

n. Provisioning means the act of supplying service to a user, including all associated transmission, wiring, and equipment. As used herein, “provisioning” and “initiation” are synonymous and include altering the state of an existing priority service or capability.

o. Public switched NSEP services include those NSEP services using public switched networks.

p. Reconciliation means the comparison of NSEP service information and the resolution of identified discrepancies.

q. Restoration means the repair or returning to service of one or more services that have experienced a service outage or are unusable for any reason, including a damaged or impaired facility. Such repair or returning to service may be done by patching, rerouting, substitution of component parts or pathways, and other means, as determined necessary by a service provider.

r. Revalidation means the re-justification by a service user of a priority level assignment. This may result in extension by DHS of the expiration date associated with the priority level assignment.

s. Revision means the change of priority level assignment for an NSEP service. This includes any extension of an existing priority level assignment to an expanded NSEP service.

t. Revocation means the elimination of a priority level assignment when it is no longer valid. All priority level assignments for an NSEP service are revoked upon service termination.

u. Service identification refers to the information uniquely identifying an NSEP service to the service provider and/or service user.

v. Service user refers to any individual or organization (including a service provider) supported by an NSEP service for which a priority level has been requested or assigned pursuant to section 7 or 8 of this appendix.

w. Service provider refers to a provider of telecommunications services or internet Protocol-based services. The term includes resale carriers, prime contractors, subcontractors, and interconnecting carriers.

x. Spare circuits or services refers to those not being used or contracted for by any customer.

y. Sponsoring Federal organization refers to a Federal agency that determines eligibility for participation in the TSP Program for non-Federal (state, local, tribal, and foreign governments and private sector) organizations. A sponsor can be any Federal agency with which a non-Federal user may be affiliated. The sponsoring Federal agency ensures the service supports an NSEP function and merits TSP participation.

z. Telecommunications services means the offering of telecommunications for a fee directly to the public, or to such classes of users as to be effectively available directly to the public, regardless of the facilities used.

3. Scope

a. Service providers.

1. (1) This appendix applies to the provision and restoration of certain telecommunications services or internet Protocol-based services for which priority levels are requested, assigned, and approved pursuant to section 8 of this appendix.

2. (2) Common carriers and providers of any services that are interconnected to common carrier services must offer prioritized provisioning and restoration of circuit-switched voice communication services. Any service provider may, on a voluntary basis, offer prioritized provisioning and restoration of data, video, and IP-based voice services.

   b. Eligible services. The NSEP TSP System and procedures established by this appendix authorize priority treatment to the following domestic services (including portions of U.S. international services offered by U.S. service providers) for which provisioning or restoration priority levels are requested, assigned, and approved in accordance with this appendix:

3. (1) Common carrier services which are:
4. (a) Interstate or foreign telecommunications services,
5. (b) Intrastate telecommunications services inseparable from interstate or foreign telecommunications services, and intrastate telecommunications services to which priority levels are assigned pursuant to section 8 of this appendix.

6. (2) Services which are provided by government and/or non-common carriers and are interconnected to common carrier services assigned a priority level pursuant to section 8 of this appendix.

   c. Control services and orderwires. The NSEP TSP System and procedures established by this appendix are not applicable to authorize priority treatment to control services or orderwires owned by a service provider and needed for provisioning, restoration, or maintenance of other services owned by that service provider, e.g., the signaling path(s) or control plane services used by a service provider's technical staff to control, coordinate, and direct network operations. Such control services and orderwires shall have priority provisioning and restoration over all other services (including NSEP services) and shall be exempt from preemption. However, the NSEP TSP System and procedures established by this appendix are applicable to control services or orderwires leased by a service provider.

   d. Other services. The NSEP TSP System may apply, at the discretion of and upon special arrangements by service users involved, to authorize priority treatment to the following services:

7. (1) Government or non-common carrier services which are not connected to common carrier provided services assigned a priority level pursuant to section 8 of this appendix.

8. (2) Portions of U.S. international services which are provided by foreign correspondents. (U.S. service providers are encouraged to ensure that relevant operating arrangements are consistent to the maximum extent practicable with the NSEP TSP System. If such arrangements do not exist, U.S. service providers should handle service provisioning and/or restoration in accordance with any system acceptable to their foreign correspondents which comes closest to meeting the procedures established in this appendix.)

   4. Policy

   The NSEP TSP System is the regulatory, administrative, and operational system authorizing and providing for priority treatment, i.e., provisioning and restoration, of NSEP services. As such, it establishes the framework for service providers to provision, restore, or otherwise act on a priority basis to ensure effective NSEP services. The NSEP TSP System allows the assignment of priority levels to any NSEP service across three time periods, or stress conditions: Peacetime/Crisis/Mobilizations, Attack/War, and Post-Attack/Recovery. Although priority levels normally will be assigned by DHS and retained by service providers only for the current time period, they may be preassigned for the other two time periods at the request of service users who are able to identify and justify in advance, their wartime or post-attack NSEP requirements. Absent such preassigned priority levels for the Attack/War and Post-Attack/Recovery periods, priority level assignments for the Peacetime/Crisis/Mobilization period will remain in effect. At all times, priority level assignments will be subject to revision by the FCC or (on an interim basis) DHS, based upon changing NSEP needs. No other system of service priorities which conflicts with the NSEP TSP System is authorized by this appendix.

   5. Responsibilities

   a. The FCC:

9. (1) Provides regulatory oversight of the NSEP TSP System.
10. (2) Enforces NSEP TSP System rules and regulations which are contained in this appendix.
11. (3) Performs such functions as are required by law, including:
12. (a) with respect to all entities licensed or regulated by the FCC: the extension of or change in network facilities; the discontinuance, reduction, or impairment of interstate services; the control of common carrier rates, charges, practices, and classifications; the construction, authorization, activation, deactivation, or closing of radio stations, services, and facilities; the assignment of radio frequencies to licensees; the investigation of violations of FCC rules; and the assessment of communications service provider emergency needs and resources; and
13. (b) supports the continuous operation and restoration of critical communications systems and services by assisting the Secretary of Homeland Security with infrastructure damage assessment and restoration, and by providing the Secretary of Homeland Security with information collected by the FCC on communications infrastructure, service outages, and restoration, as appropriate.

14. (4) Functions (on a discretionary basis) as a sponsoring Federal organization. (See section 5.b below.)

    b. Sponsoring Federal organizations:

15. (1) Review and decide whether to sponsor foreign, state, and local government and private industry (including service providers) requests for priority actions. Federal organizations forward sponsored requests with recommendations for disposition to DHS. Such recommendations are based on the categories and criteria in section 10 of this appendix.
16. (2) Forward notification of priority actions or denials of requests for priority actions from DHS to the requesting foreign, state, and local government and private industry entities.

17. (3) Cooperate with DHS during reconciliation, revalidation, and audits.

    c. Service users:

18. (1) Identify services requiring priority level assignments and request and justify priority level assignments in accordance with this appendix.
19. (2) Request and justify revalidation of all priority level assignments at least every three years.
20. (3) For services assigned priority levels, ensure (through contractual means or otherwise) availability of customer premises equipment and wiring necessary for end-to-end service operation by the service due date, and continued operation; and, for such services in the Emergency NSEP category, by the time that providers are prepared to provide the services. Additionally, designate the organization responsible for the service on an end-to-end basis.
21. (4) Prepare to accept services assigned priority levels by the service due dates or, for services in the Emergency NSEP category, when they are available.
22. (5) Pay providers any authorized costs associated with services that are assigned priority levels.
23. (6) Report to providers any failed or unusable services that are assigned priority levels.
24. (7) Designate a 24-hour point-of-contact for matters concerning each request for priority action and apprise DHS thereof.
25. (8) Upon termination of services that are assigned priority levels, or circumstances warranting revisions in priority level assignment (e.g., expansion of service), request and justify revocation or revision.
26. (9) When NSEP treatment is invoked under section 8(c) of this appendix, within 90 days following provisioning of the service involved, forward to the Priority Services Program Office complete information identifying the time and event associated with the invocation and regarding whether the NSEP service requirement was adequately handled and whether any additional charges were incurred.
27. (10) Cooperate with DHS during reconciliation, revalidation, and audits.

28. (11) Comply with DHS policies and procedures that are consistent with this appendix.

    d. Non-federal service users, in addition to responsibilities described above in section 5.c, obtain a sponsoring Federal organization for all requests for priority actions. If unable to find a sponsoring Federal organization, a non-federal service user may submit its request, which must include documentation of attempts made to obtain a sponsor and reasons given by the sponsor for its refusal, directly to DHS.

    e. Service providers:

29. (1) When NSEP treatment is invoked by service users, provision NSEP services before non-NSEP services, based on priority level assignments made by DHS. Service providers must:

30. (a) Promptly provide NSEP services. When limited resources constrain response capability, providers will address conflicts for resources by:

    1. (i) Providing NSEP services in order of provisioning priority level assignment, from highest (“E”) to lowest (“5”);
    2. (ii) Providing Emergency NSEP services (i.e., those assigned provisioning priority level “E”) in order of receipt of the service requests;
    3. (iii) Providing Essential NSEP services that have the same provisioning priority level in order of service due dates; and
    4. (iv) Referring any conflicts which cannot be resolved (to the mutual satisfaction of service providers and users) to DHS for resolution.

31. (b) Comply with NSEP service requests by:

    1. (i) Promptly providing Emergency NSEP services, dispatching outside normal business hours when necessary;
    2. (ii) Promptly meeting requested service dates for Essential NSEP services, negotiating a mutually (authorized user and provider) acceptable service due date when the requested service due date cannot be met; and
    3. (2) Restore NSEP services which suffer outage or are reported as unusable or otherwise in need of restoration, before non-NSEP services, based on restoration priority level assignments. (Note: For broadband or multiple service facilities, restoration is permitted even though it might result in restoration of services assigned to lower priority levels along with, or sometimes ahead of, some higher priority level services.) Restoration will require service providers to restore NSEP services in order of restoration priority level assignment”) by:
    4. (a) Promptly restoring NSEP services by dispatching outside normal business hours to restore services assigned Priority Level 1, 2, or 3, when necessary, and services assigned Priority Level 4 or 5 when the next business day is more than 24 hours away;
    5. (b) Restoring NSEP services assigned the same restoration priority level based upon which service can be first restored. (However, restoration actions in progress should not normally be interrupted to restore another NSEP service assigned the same restoration priority level);
    6. (c) Patching and/or rerouting NSEP services assigned restoration priority levels when use of patching and/or rerouting will hasten restoration; and
    7. (d) Referring any conflicts which cannot be resolved (to the mutual satisfaction of service providers and users) to DHS for resolution.
    8. (3) Respond to provisioning requests of authorized users and/or other service providers, and to restoration priority level assignments when an NSEP service suffers an outage or is reported as unusable, by:
    9. (a) Ensuring that provider personnel understand their responsibilities to handle NSEP provisioning requests and to restore NSEP service;
    10. (b) Providing a 24-hour point-of-contact for receiving provisioning requests for Emergency NSEP services and reports of NSEP service outages or unusability; and
    11. (c) Seeking verification from an authorized entity if legitimacy of a priority level assignment or provisioning request for an NSEP service is in doubt. However, processing of Emergency NSEP service requests will not be delayed for verification purposes.
    12. (4) Cooperate with other service providers involved in provisioning or restoring a portion of an NSEP service by honoring provisioning or restoration priority level assignments, or requests for assistance to provision or restore NSEP services.
    13. (5) All service providers, including resale carriers, are required to ensure that service providers supplying underlying facilities are provided information necessary to implement priority treatment of facilities that support NSEP services.
    14. (6) Preempt, when necessary, existing services to provide an NSEP service as authorized in section 6 of this appendix.
    15. (7) Assist in ensuring that priority level assignments of NSEP services are accurately identified “end-to-end” by:
    16. (a) Seeking verification from an authorized Federal government entity if the legitimacy of the restoration priority level assignment is in doubt;
    17. (b) Providing to subcontractors and/or interconnecting carriers the restoration priority level assigned to a service;
    18. (c) Supplying, to DHS, when acting as a prime contractor to a service user, confirmation information regarding NSEP service completion for that portion of the service they have contracted to supply;
    19. (d) Supplying, to DHS, NSEP service information for the purpose of reconciliation;
    20. (e) Cooperating with DHS during reconciliation; and
    21. (f) Periodically initiating reconciliation with their subcontractors and arranging for subsequent subcontractors to cooperate in the reconciliation process.
    22. (8) Receive compensation for costs authorized through tariffs or contracts by:
    23. (a) Provisions contained in properly filed state or Federal tariffs; or
    24. (b) Provisions of properly negotiated contracts where the carrier is not required to file tariffs.
    25. (9) Provision or restore only the portions of services for which they have agreed to be responsible (i.e., have contracted to supply), unless the President's war emergency powers under section 706 of the Communications Act are in effect.
    26. (10) Cooperate with DHS during audits.
    27. (11) Comply with DHS policies or procedures that are consistent with this appendix.
    28. (12) Ensure that at all times a reasonable number of public switched network services are made available for public use.
    29. (13) Do not disclose information concerning NSEP services they provide to those not having a need-to-know or that might use the information for competitive advantage.
    30. (14) Take all reasonable efforts to secure the confidentiality of TSP information from unauthorized disclosure, including by storing such information in a location and with security safeguards that are reasonably designed to protect against lawful or unlawful disclosure to company employees or service providers without a legitimate need for this information, or other entities to which the disclosure of this information would pose a threat to the national security of the United States. Service providers will immediately notify the FCC and DHS of any attempt to compel the disclosure of this information and will coordinate with the FCC and DHS prior to such disclosure. In emergency situations where prior notice is impracticable, service providers will notify the FCC and DHS as soon as possible, but no later than 48 hours after such disclosure, and should accompany such notice with an explanation why prior notice was not practicable.

    31. (15) Comply with all relevant Commission rules regarding TSP.

        6. Preemption of Existing Services

        When necessary to provision or restore NSEP services, service providers may preempt services they provide as specified below. “Service user” as used in this section means any user of a telecommunications service or internet Protocol-based service, including both NSEP and non-NSEP services. Prior consent by a preempted user is not required.

        a. Existing services may be preempted to provision NSEP services assigned Priority Level E or restore NSEP services assigned Priority Level 1 through 5 according to the following sequence:

    32. (1) Non-NSEP services: If suitable spare services are not available, non-NSEP services will be preempted. After ensuring a sufficient number of public switched services are available for public use, based on the service provider's best judgment, such services may be used to satisfy a requirement for provisioning or restoring NSEP services.
    33. (2) NSEP services: If no suitable spare services or non-NSEP services are available, existing NSEP services may be preempted to provision or restore NSEP services with higher priority level assignments. When this is necessary, NSEP services will be selected for preemption in the inverse order of priority level assignment.

    34. (3) Service providers who are preempting services will ensure their best effort to notify the service user of the preempted service and state the reason for and estimated duration of the preemption.

        b. Service providers may, based on their best judgment, determine the sequence in which existing services may be preempted to provision NSEP services assigned Priority Level 1 through 5. Preemption is not subject to the consent of the user whose service will be preempted.

        7. Requests for Priority Assignments

        All service users are required to submit requests for priority assignments to DHS in the format and following the procedures that DHS prescribes.

        8. Assignment, Approval, Use, and Invocation of Priority Levels

        a. Assignment and approval of priority levels. Priority level assignments will be based upon the categories and criteria specified in section 10 of this appendix. After invocation of the President's war emergency powers, these requirements may be superseded by other procedures issued by DHS.

        b. Use of priority level assignments.

    35. (1) All provisioning and restoration priority level assignments for services in the Emergency NSEP category will be included in initial service orders to providers. Provisioning priority level assignments for Essential NSEP services, however, will not usually be included in initial service orders to providers. NSEP treatment for Essential NSEP services will be invoked and provisioning priority level assignments will be conveyed to service providers only if the providers cannot meet needed service dates through the normal provisioning process.
    36. (2) Any revision or revocation of either provisioning or restoration priority level assignments will also be transmitted to providers.

    37. (3) Service providers shall accept priority levels and/or revisions only after assignment by DHS.

        c. Invocation of NSEP treatment. To invoke NSEP treatment for the priority provisioning of an NSEP service, an authorized federal employee within, or acting on behalf of, the service user's organization must make a declaration to concerned service provider(s) and DHS that NSEP treatment is being invoked. An authorized invocation official is one who (1) understands how the requested service ties to the organization's NSEP mission; (2) is authorized to approve the expenditure of funds necessary for the requested service; and (3) has operational responsibilities for telecommunications procurement and/or management within the organization.

        9. Appeal

        Service users or sponsoring Federal organizations may appeal any priority level assignment, denial, revision, revocation, approval, or disapproval to DHS within 30 days of notification to the service user. The appellant must use the form or format required by DHS and must serve the FCC with a copy of its appeal. Service users and sponsoring Federal organizations may only appeal directly to the FCC after DHS action on the appeal. Such FCC appeal must be filed within 30 days of notification of DHS's decision on appeal. Additionally, DHS may appeal any FCC revisions, approvals, or disapprovals to the FCC. All appeals to the FCC must be submitted using the form or format required. The party filing its appeal with the FCC must include factual details supporting its claim and must serve a copy on DHS and any other party directly involved. Such party may file a response within 20 days, and replies may be filed within 10 days thereafter. The Commission will not issue public notices of such submissions. The Commission will provide notice of its decision to the parties of record. Any appeals to DHS that include a claim of new information that has not been presented before for consideration may be submitted at any time.

        10. Categories, Criteria, and Priority Levels

        a. General. NSEP TSP System categories and criteria, and permissible priority level assignments, are defined and explained below.

    38. (1) The Essential NSEP category has four subcategories: National Security Leadership; National Security Posture and U.S. Population Attack Warning; Public Health, Safety, and Maintenance of Law and Order; and Public Welfare and Maintenance of National Economic Posture. Each subcategory has its own criteria. Criteria are also shown for the Emergency NSEP category, which has no sub-categories.
    39. (2) Priority Levels 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 may be assigned for provisioning and/or restoration of Essential NSEP services. However, for Emergency NSEP services, Priority Level E is assigned for provisioning, and Priority Levels 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 may be assigned for restoration of Emergency NSEP services.
    40. (3) The NSEP TSP System allows the assignment of priority levels to any NSEP service across three time periods, or stress conditions: Peacetime/Crisis/Mobilization, Attack/War, and Post-Attack/Recovery. It is expected that priority levels may be revised within the three time periods by surviving authorized resource managers within DHS based upon specific facts and circumstances.
    41. (4) Service users may, for their own internal use, assign sub-priorities to their services assigned priority levels. Receipt of and response to any such sub-priorities is optional for service providers.

    42. (5) The following paragraphs provide a detailed explanation of the categories, subcategories, criteria, and priority level assignments, beginning with the Emergency NSEP category.

        b. Emergency NSEP. Services in the Emergency NSEP category are those new services so critical as to be required to be provisioned at the earliest possible time, without regard to the costs of obtaining them.

    43. (1) Criteria. To qualify under the Emergency NSEP category, the service must meet criteria directly supporting or resulting from at least one of the following NSEP functions:
    44. (a) Federal government activity responding to a Presidentially declared disaster or emergency as defined in the Disaster Relief Act (42 U.S.C. 5122).
    45. (b) State or local government activity responding to a Presidentially declared disaster or emergency.
    46. (c) Response to a state of crisis declared by the National Command Authorities (e.g., exercise of Presidential war emergency powers under section 706 of the Communications Act.)
    47. (d) Efforts to protect endangered U.S. personnel or property.
    48. (e) Response to an enemy or terrorist action, civil disturbance, natural disaster, or any other unpredictable occurrence that has damaged facilities whose uninterrupted operation is critical to NSEP or the management of other ongoing crises.
    49. (f) Certification by the head or director of a Federal agency, commander of a unified/specified command, chief of a military service, or commander of a major military command, that the service is so critical to protection of life and property or to NSEP that it must be provided immediately.
    50. (g) A request from an official authorized pursuant to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (50 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. and 18 U.S.C. 2511, 2518, 2519).
    51. (2) Priority Level Assignment.
    52. (a) Services qualifying under the Emergency NSEP category are assigned Priority Level E for provisioning.
    53. (b) After 30 days, assignments of Priority Level E for Emergency NSEP services are automatically revoked unless extended for another 30-day period. A notice of any such revocation will be sent to service providers.

    54. (c) For restoration, Emergency NSEP services may be assigned priority levels under the provisions applicable to Essential NSEP services (see section 10(c)). Emergency NSEP services not otherwise qualifying for restoration priority level assignment as Essential NSEP may be assigned Priority Level 5 for a 30-day period. Such 30-day restoration priority level assignment will be revoked automatically unless extended for another 30-day period. A notice of any such revocation will be sent to service providers.

        c. Essential NSEP. Services in the Essential NSEP category are those required to be provisioned by due dates specified by service users, or restored promptly, normally without regard to associated overtime or expediting costs. They may be assigned Priority Level 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 for both provisioning and restoration, depending upon the nature and urgency of the supported function, the impact of lack of service or of service interruption upon the supported function, and, for priority access to public switched services, the user's level of responsibility. Priority level assignments will be valid for no more than three years unless revalidated. To be categorized as Essential NSEP, a service must qualify under one of the four following subcategories: National Security Leadership; National Security Posture and U.S. Population Attack Warning; Public Health, Safety and Maintenance of Law and Order; or Public Welfare and Maintenance of National Economic Posture. (Note: Under emergency circumstances, Essential NSEP services may be recategorized as Emergency NSEP and assigned Priority Level E for provisioning.)

        1. (1) National security leadership. This subcategory is strictly limited to only those NSEP services essential to national survival if nuclear attack threatens or occurs, and critical orderwire and control services necessary to ensure the rapid and efficient provisioning or restoration of other NSEP services. Services in this subcategory are those for which a service interruption of even a few minutes would have serious adverse impact upon the supported NSEP function.

        2. (a) Criteria. To qualify under this subcategory, a service must be at least one of the following:

           1. (i) Critical orderwire, or control services, supporting other NSEP functions.
           2. (ii) Presidential communications service critical to continuity of government and national leadership during crisis situations.
           3. (iii) National command authority communications service for military command and control critical to national survival.
           4. (iv) Intelligence communications service critical to warning of potentially catastrophic attack.
           5. (v) Communications service supporting the conduct of diplomatic negotiations critical to arresting or limiting hostilities.
        3. (b) Priority level assignment. Services under this subcategory will normally be assigned Priority Level 1 for provisioning and restoration during the Peace/Crisis/Mobilization time period.
        4. (2) National security posture and U.S. population attack warning. This subcategory covers additional NSEP services that are essential to maintaining an optimum defense, diplomatic, or continuity-of-government postures before, during, and after crises situations. Such situations are those ranging from national emergencies to international crises, including nuclear attack. Services in this subcategory are those for which a service interruption ranging from a few minutes to one day would have serious adverse impact upon the supported NSEP function.

        5. (a) Criteria. To qualify under this subcategory, a service must support at least one of the following NSEP functions:

           1. (i) Threat assessment and attack warning.
           2. (ii) Conduct of diplomacy.
           3. (iii) Collection, processing, and dissemination of intelligence.
           4. (iv) Command and control of military forces.
           5. (v) Military mobilization.
           6. (vi) Continuity of Federal government before, during, and after crises situations.
           7. (vii) Continuity of state and local government functions supporting the Federal government during and after national emergencies.
           8. (viii) Recovery of critical national functions after crises situations.
           9. (ix) National space operations.
        6. (b) Priority level assignment. Services under this subcategory will normally be assigned Priority Level 2, 3, 4, or 5 for provisioning and restoration during Peacetime/Crisis/Mobilization.
        7. (3) Public health, safety, and maintenance of law and order. This subcategory covers NSEP services necessary for giving civil alert to the U.S. population and maintaining law and order and the health and safety of the U.S. population in times of any national, regional, or serious local emergency. These services are those for which a service interruption ranging from a few minutes to one day would have serious adverse impact upon the supported NSEP functions.

        8. (a) Criteria. To qualify under this subcategory, a service must support at least one of the following NSEP functions:

           1. (i) Population warning (other than attack warning).
           2. (ii) Law enforcement.
           3. (iii) Continuity of critical state and local government functions (other than support of the Federal government during and after national emergencies).
           4. (vi) Hospitals and distributions of medical supplies.
           5. (v) Critical logistic functions and public utility services.
           6. (vi) Civil air traffic control.
           7. (vii) Military assistance to civil authorities.
           8. (viii) Defense and protection of critical industrial facilities.
           9. (ix) Critical weather services.
           10. (x) Transportation to accomplish the foregoing NSEP functions.
        9. (b) Priority level assignment. Service under this subcategory will normally be assigned Priority Levels 3, 4, or 5 for provisioning and restoration during Peacetime/Crisis/Mobilization.
        10. (4) Public welfare and maintenance of national economic posture. This subcategory covers NSEP services necessary for maintaining the public welfare and national economic posture during any national or regional emergency. These services are those for which a service interruption ranging from a few minutes to one day would have serious adverse impact upon the supported NSEP function.

        11. (a) Criteria. To qualify under this subcategory, a service must support at least one of the following NSEP functions:

            1. (i) Distribution of food and other essential supplies.
            2. (ii) Maintenance of national monetary, credit, and financial systems.
            3. (iii) Maintenance of price, wage, rent, and salary stabilization, and consumer rationing programs.
            4. (iv) Control of production and distribution of strategic materials and energy supplies.
            5. (v) Prevention and control of environmental hazards or damage.
            6. (vi) Transportation to accomplish the foregoing NSEP functions.
        12. (b) Priority level assignment. Services under this subcategory will normally be assigned Priority Levels 4 or 5 for provisioning and restoration during Peacetime/Crisis/Mobilization.

Note: Service providers acting as prime contractors will accept assigned NSEP priority levels only when they are accompanied by the DHS designated service identification (i.e., TSP Authorization Code). However, service providers are authorized to accept priority levels and/or revisions from users and contracting activities before assignment by DHS when service providers, users, and contracting activities are unable to communicate with either the FCC or DHS. Processing of Emergency NSEP service requests will not be delayed for verification purposes.

[87 FR 39784, July 5, 2022]