Minister of Infrastructure and Housing establishes audits and impact analysis due to the blackout on

The Minister of Infrastructure and Housing issued on 30 April three orders where he establishes that the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC), the National Communications Authority (ANACOM), and the Mobility and Transportation Institute (IMT) must conduct audits and a thorough technical analysis of the incidents that occurred during the blackout on Monday.

This urgent and priority assessment will then become a report drafted by each of the bodies. This document must be presented within a maximum timeframe of 20 days and will also include clear conclusions and concrete recommendations.

ANACOM: impact on critical and essential services

Thus, considering the significant impact felt by the blackout on the services provided by several electronic communications providers, which affected citizens, State essential services and critical infrastructure; given the implications of the interruption of the continuity of services in emergency, security, civil protection, health and other vital areas for the  country’s running, the order signed by the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Miguel Pinto Luz establishes that the audit to be carried out by ANACOM should include:

- The identification of the technical and operational causes behind the service interruptions

- The assessment of the resilience, redundancy, and capacity to restore the electronic communications providers’ networks and services, as well as those who own the infrastructure

- The verification of the failure prevention, detection and mitigation mechanisms implemented

- Ascertaining the efficacy of communications between the providers and the public authorities during the event

- The impact on critical and essential services, focusing on the emergency and civil protection systems

- The assessment of compliance with the legal and regulatory obligations by the electronic communications providers or infrastructure owners

- Proposals for corrective, structural, regulatory or other measures considered suitable to ensure the functioning, resilience, and security of the national communications networks, as well as the provision of the respective services.

ANAC: activating and implementing contingency plans

In the order establishing the audit to be conducted by ANAC, it is set that the assessment of the impact felt by the blackout on the aviation sector – and which affected passengers, cargo, essential services and State critical infrastructure – should include:

- The identification of the technical and operational causes of the interruption or degradation of the various services within civil aviation, namely the airport system, or the provision of air navigation services

- The assessment of the resilience, redundancy, and capacity to restore the civil aviation sector, namely the airport system or the provision of air navigation services, as well as operating air transport

- The verification of the failure prevention, detection and mitigation mechanisms implemented, namely the existence, activation, and implementation of the contingency plans

- Ascertaining the efficacy in the communications and reporting between the abovementioned sector operators and between these and the public authorities during the event

- The impact on critical and essential services, focusing on the emergency and civil protection systems

- The assessment of compliance with the legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations, without prejudice to the powers of the Mobility and Transportation Institute, by the agents and entities in the civil aviation sector

- Proposals for corrective, structural, regulatory or other measures considered suitable to ensure the sector’s functioning, resilience, and security.

IMT: Implications on the emergency and civil protection services

Given the Mobility and Transportation Institute’s powers as the body indirectly under the State charged with the technical regulations, coordination, supervision, and planning for the road and river transports and their respective infrastructure, the order signed by the Minister Miguel Pinto Luz sets the analysis of the incidents that occurred during the blackout in these areas. This thorough and independent analysis should include:

- The identification of the impacts on the infrastructure’s integrity and functioning

- The assessment of the operational capabilities of the infrastructure’s handlers

- The assessment of the resilience, redundancy, and capacity to restore the transportation operators’ services, as well as that of the infrastructure owners

- The verification of the failure prevention, detection and mitigation mechanisms implemented, namely the existence, activation, and implementation of the contingency plans

- Ascertaining the efficacy in the communications and reporting between the abovementioned sector operators and between these and the public authorities during the event

- Impact in critical and essential services, focusing on the emergency and civil protection systems

- The assessment of compliance with the legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations, by the abovementioned sector agents or infrastructure owners

- Without prejudice of the powers of the Mobility and Transportation Authority, proposals for corrective, structural, regulatory or other measures considered suitable to ensure the road transport (road and rail) and river transport’s functioning, resilience, and security. as well as the provision of their respective services.