Authorizing City Council's Committee on Public Property and Public Works to hold public hearings on the status of land lines and other means to support the need of the City for data transmission, communication, and public safety and security; and, in furtherance of such hearing, authorizing the issuance of subpoenas to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents to the full extent authorized under section 2-401 of the Home Rule Charter.

WHEREAS, Philadelphia is striving to become a “High Tech” or “Cutting Edge City;” and

WHEREAS, on July 20, 2004, a technician was testing a T-1 circuit and it was left in a loop back mode, which rendered the circuit unusable; and

WHEREAS, on November 14, 2004, equipment that supports a vital City of Philadelphia communication system shut down due to a loss of power; and

WHEREAS, on December 17, 2004, while the testing of a circuit was being completed, the card for the first circuit was not fully seated in the equipment, prior to the second card being pulled out, causing an alarm to sound and forcing a critical communication system into back-up mode; and

WHEREAS, in the spirit of cooperation, Verizon has requested that they be given the opportunity to testify on the record about such matters and requested the opportunity to answer questions from City Council on the record;

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That

City Council's Committee on Public Property and Public Works hold public hearings on the status of land lines and other means to support the need of the City for data transmission, communication, and public safety and security; and, in furtherance of such hearing, authorizing the issuance of subpoenas to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents to the full extent authorized under section 2-401 of the Home Rule Charter.

End