[Satellite Today – 6-12-08] Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) and the Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC) have formed a satellite mutual aid radio talkgroup dedicated to the preparation for and response to earthquakes throughout the Central United States, MSV announced June 11.
    CUSEC, a partnership of the federal government and eight states, serves as the coordinating hub for the multi-state region and as a partnership of organizations to coordinate the response to earthquakes that affect the area.
    CUSEC will manage and approve talkgroup participation by federal, tribal, state and local public safety agencies, and appropriate private sector users with public safety missions.
    “We see this as an excellent opportunity to expand connectivity between our member states,” Jim Wilkinson, executive director of CUSEC, said in a statement. “The need to have redundancy in communications systems is amplified by the large area of the earthquake threat and the multi-jurisdictional issues.”