National Communications Systems
The Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP)
The Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) Program provides national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) users priority authorization of telecommunications services that are vital to coordinating and responding to crises. Telecommunications services are defined as the transmission, emission, or reception of intelligence of any nature, by wire, cable, satellite, fiber optics, laser, radio visual or other electronic, electric, electromagnetic, or acoustically coupled means, or any combination thereof. As a result of hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and other natural or man-made disasters, telecommunications service vendors may become overwhelmed with requests for new telecommunications services and requirements to restore existing telecommunications services. The TSP Program provides service vendors with a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandate for prioritizing service requests by identifying those services critical to NS/EP. A telecommunications service with a TSP assignment is assured of receiving full attention by the service vendor before a non-TSP service.
The procedures identified here are applicable to the Manager, NCS; NCS member organizations; and other Federal Executive entities participating in the TSP Program. All other telecommunications service users (e.g., State, local, foreign governments, or private industry) who request and obtain a TSP assignment agree to its application by their use of the TSP Program.
A TSP service user is any individual or organization supported by a telecommunications service for which a TSP assignment has been requested or assigned. NS/EP telecommunications services within the Federal, State, local, or foreign governments, as well as private industry, are eligible for TSP. Federal users do not require a sponsor, but generally have a centralized Point of Contact (POC) that routinely interacts with the Office of Priority Telecommunications (OPT). Non-Federal users (e.g., State, local, foreign governments) require a sponsor.
All non-Federal users who request a TSP provisioning and/or restoration assignment are required to have a Federal sponsor. A sponsor can be any Federal agency with which a non-Federal user may be affiliated (as specified in Executive Order (EO) 12656, "Assignment of Emergency Preparedness Responsibilities," dated November 18, 1988). Additionally, all users who need an NS/EP provisioning assignment are required to contact their invocation official. An invocation official is a designated individual who has the authority to request an accelerated provisioning for an NS/EP telecommunications service. This chapter outlines the responsibilities of Federal sponsors and invocation officials.
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