Maintain Communications by Using Route Diversity for Local Access

Welcome to the National Communications System's (NCS) Route Diversity Project homepage. The Route Diversity Project helps local, state, and Federal agencies increase the availability of communications by employing diverse routing, defined as "communications routing between two points over more than one geographic or physical path, with no points in common."

The project includes the tools and capabilities necessary to assist an agency with risk and infrastructure analyses. It also presents information on available communications technologies and services, including those evaluated by the NCS during "real-world" field trials.

In 2009, the National Communications System (NCS) developed and released to the Federal Executive Branch Departments and Agencies an NCS Handbook 3-10-1 entitled Guidance for Improving Route Diversity within Local Access Networks. The purpose of NCS Handbook 3-10-1 is to provide Federal Executive Branch continuity planners with guidance in assessing and improving the route diversity of their local access networks, in accordance with section 10.3.4 of the National Communications System (NCS) Manual 3-10-1, Guidance for Implementing NCS Directive 3-10. The handbook provides a self-assessment methodology for Federal Departments or Agencies to identify and address potential points of failure in their communications networks by evaluating the local access networks of to their primary and alternate operating facilities.

Federal organizations requiring a copy of the route diversity handbook or have other technical questions may send an e-mail request to the National Communications System's Route Diversity Program Office at routediversity@dhs.gov.

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