Electronic Communications Resilience and Response Group
From SR
Roles
The Electronic Communications Resilience and Response Group (EC-RRG) is a quarterly, tripartite meeting between major UK network operators (based on their PSTN capability), Government (BERR) and Ofcom. The forum fosters the development and sharing of best practice and owns the National Emergency Plan for Telecoms along with its associated alert process – NEAT (National Emergency Alert for Telecoms).
EC-RRG has also become a lobby for the introduction of Minimum Standards for Telecommunications.
The NEAT process has been used for real on "7/7", and in response to the fire in BT's exchange in Birmingham in 2005. NEAT is exercised annually: this is known as "EMPEX".
Structure
As of June 2008, the chair is held by the Cabinet Office representative.
History
Until 2006, EC-RRG was known as the Telecommunication Industry Emergency Planning Forum (TI-EPF); arguably, that name better reflected its mandate and responsibilities than the current one.
