OBAMA GIVES HIMSELF CONTROL OF ALL COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS IN AMERICA
OBAMA GIVES HIMSELF CONTROL OF ALL COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS IN AMERICA
US President Barack Obama quietly signed his name to an Executive Order on Friday, allowing the White House to control all private communications in the country in the name of national security.
President Obama released his latest Executive Order on Friday, July 6, a 2,205-word statement offered as the “Assignment of National Security and Emergency Preparedness Communications Functions.” And although the president chose not to commemorate the signing with much fanfare, the powers he provides to himself and the federal government under the latest order are among the most far-reaching yet of any of his executive decisions.
“The Federal Government must have the ability to communicate at all times and under all circumstances to carry out its most critical and time sensitive missions,” the president begins the order. “Survivable, resilient, enduring and effective communications, both domestic and international, are essential to enable the executive branch to communicate within itself and with: the legislative and judicial branches; State, local, territorial and tribal governments; private sector entities; and the public, allies and other nations.”
President Obama adds that it is necessary for the government to be able to reach anyone in the country during situations it considers critical, writing, “Such communications must be possible under all circumstances to ensure national security, effectively manage emergencies and improve national resilience.” Later the president explains that such could be done by establishing a “joint industry-Government center that is capable of assisting in the initiation, coordination, restoration and reconstitution of NS/EP [national security and emergency preparedness] communications services or facilities under all conditions of emerging threats, crisis or emergency.”
“The views of all levels of government, the private and nonprofit sectors, and the public must inform the development of NS/EP communications policies, programs and capabilities,” he adds.
On the government’s official website for the National Communications Systems, the government explains that that“infrastructure includes wireline, wireless, satellite, cable, and broadcasting, and provides the transport networks that support the Internet and other key information systems,” suggesting that the president has indeed effectively just allowed himself to control the country’s Internet access.
In order to allow the White House to reach anyone within the US, the president has put forth a plan to establish a high-level committee calling from agents with the Department of Homeland Security, Pentagon, Federal Communications Commission and other government divisions to ensure that his new executive order can be implemented.
In explaining the order, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) writes that the president has authorized the DHS “the authority to seize private facilities when necessary, effectively shutting down or limiting civilian communications.”
In Section 5 of his order, President Obama outlines the specific department and agency responsibilities that will see through his demands. In a few paragraphs, President Obama explains that Executive Committee that will oversee his order must be supplied with “the technical support necessary to develop and maintain plans adequate to provide for the security and protection of NS/EP communications,” and that that same body will be in tasked with dispatching that communiqué “to the Federal Government and State, local, territorial and trial governments,” by means of“commercial, Government and privately owned communications resources.”
Later, the president announces that the Department of Homeland Security will be tasked with drafting a plan during the next 60 days to explain how the DHS will command the government’s Emergency Telecommunications Service, as well as other telecom conduits. In order to be able to spread the White House’s message across the country, President Obama also asks for the purchasing of equipment and services that will enable such.
I am not sure that this Executive Order does what most people seem to believe it does. After World War 2, the ConElRad (Control of Electromagnetic Radiation) System was put in place so that the President could communicate directly to the American people. Words of calm reassurance such as, “Russian missiles will be raining down on your heads within minutes. Good luck and God bless.”
This was supplanted by the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) for many years, with the familiar “this is only a test” announcements. This consisted of a system where certain radio stations called Primary Entry Points were connected to the White House, then others designated LP1 and LP2 were required to continuously monitor them and all other radio and TV stations were required to monitor their regional LP1 and LP2 and relay emergency messages.
Late in the 1990s this was replaced by the Emergency Alert System (EAS) using some digital technology and including cable TV systems. I was co-chair of the group that instituted the EAS system (including Amber Alerts) for Riverside and San Bernardino counties. This was like herding cats, as it required cooperation between local broadcasters and cablecasters, state and local law enforcement agencies, the state and county Office of Emergency Services, Federal Communications Commission, and four offices of the National Weather Service. The system is still kind of clunky, and there have been proposals to replace the current daisy-chain of broadcasters with the network of VHF stations operated by the National Weather Service. The local Emergency Operations Center would then send their emergency message through the NWS system to the broadcasters. Of course, the system doesn’t work well at 3 a.m. when nearly everyone is sound asleep in bed. They haven’t figured out that problem yet.
But does this new Executive Order give Obama the right to listen in on your phone calls? I don’t think so. The Telephony Privacy Enhancement Act, signed by Bill Clinton, does that already.
Hi Glenn, just a quick point. Any step in the direction of controlling communications by this administration who is all about control is a wrong step and the American people; especially his own voters, who will swallow what is done gradually, not all at once. He is boiling lobsters alive, unfortunately, that is all of us.
Well, I definitely do not trust this president any farther than I could throw a grand piano, but every president since Harry Truman has had the ability to broadcast to the American people. Under the ConElRad system, in a national emergency specific stations had to switch to 640 or 1240 AM (FM really hadn’t been viable yet) and every other radio station had to go off the air. That was definitely control of communications.
Glenn, I hear what you are saying, but I think the bigger point is that this man is in love with Executive orders, and bypassing Congress, and threatening the Supreme court if he does not get his way, and our system of checks and balances do not seem to mean anything to him. It is like he missed civics class as a kid, but wait, he did, because he is a son of Kenya. The Internet was a last bastion of independence which superseded single nations, and controlling that means he wants it all. Guns, Internet, voting booths, hearts and souls of mindless human sheep, next he may be after land, air and water. After all, whats another Executive order?