FUNDING LEVEL OF SOME FEDERAL WIRELESS EFFORTS UNCERTAIN

Mark Forman, OMB assoc. dir.-information technology & e- govt., reportedly told conference last week that he would put on hold plans for spending $1.5 billion for federal wireless telecom efforts until areas of redundancy between them were streamlined. Addressing Interagency Resources Management Conference, he said some projects should be reconfigured to eliminate areas of overlap and to spend federal dollars more efficiently. That $1.5 billion is part of $3.5 billion line item in Administration’s budget proposal for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to address post-Sept. 11 emergency planning. About 1/3 for FEMA was designated for purchase of emergency communications equipment and upgrades (CD March 13 p5). FEMA earlier this year took over lead for Project Safecom, which was created to be single point of contact for all federal wireless communications efforts for public safety. Project was designed to examine policy issues such as spectrum availability for interoperable communications among public safety agencies. As result of move to give Project Safecom role of coordinating existing federal wireless programs, efforts such as Public Safety Wireless Network (PSWN) have become div. of Safecom. PSWN is supported by Justice Dept. and Treasury Dept. Project Safecom essentially is using PSWN program as basis for addressing issues such as federal-to-federal wireless interoperability and federal-to-state or local interoperability, said Rick Murphy, PSWN program manager for Treasury Dept. Forman’s comments didn’t appear to indicate that funding would be cut from any program, but that govt. was looking for ways to use funds most efficiently.

“They are taking the PSWN program to a higher level with resources both in manpower and in monies to be able to accomplish the difficult task of solving interoperability,” Murphy told us. FEMA has yet to issue guidelines for state and local agencies applying for such fiscal 2003 funding, including mandates for using funds, Murphy said. In public notice seeking comments on guidelines, FEMA received nearly 600 responses. Where Project Safecom would end up in new Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) won’t be clear until plans for department itself are finalized, but FEMA is to be under umbrella of DHS, meaning program is likely to be part of new agency, source said.

Department of Homeland Security also might provide eventual focal point for private wireless issues and role they play in homeland security, particularly critical infrastructure providers that have complained recently that FCC hasn’t given adequate consideration too their spectrum needs. United Telecom Council last month expressed concern about recent FCC report on critical infrastructure spectrum, contending it didn’t recognize extent to which industries such as energy sector didn’t have dedicated spectrum (CD Aug 5 p8). FCC staff report was congressionally mandated counterpart to NTIA study released earlier in year on need for more spectrum for critical infrastructure providers in energy, water and railroad sectors in light of how their needs had changed after Sept. 11. UTC had raised concerns that FCC report didn’t cover concrete plans for spectrum to meet emergency response requirements of critical infrastructure providers. UTC Vp-Gen. Counsel Jill Lyon said group had been working with Congress and federal agencies and Office of Homeland Security since Sept. 11 on needs of sector. “Everyone involved in homeland security issues understands the importance of this except the agency that regulates the telecommunications on which those systems rely,” Lyon said. “Quite frankly the FCC’s response to the NTIA findings shows up the fact that they are just not paying attention to this.” One issue that UTC has been examining is whether critical infrastructure provider issues should be handled elsewhere, such as under Department of Homeland Security. “One of the things that we need to look at maybe is whether there is a better home for these systems,” she said.

In other areas, uncertainty whether wireless PAS will receive full funding sought by White House is key reason why National Communications System (NCS) decided to focus only on GSM-based technology for initial national deployment of system (CD Sept 10 p3), said Kathryn Condello, CTIA vp- industry operations. CTIA Pres. Tom Wheeler recently wrote to Senate Appropriations Committee Chmn. Byrd (D-W.Va.) stressing importance of full funding for program. Industry and govt. have continued to move ahead on standards for wireless priority access and CDMA isn’t off table for full deployment of system, Condello said. “The more carriers that can provide the service the more capacity you can provide to the NSEP [national security/emergency response] community and the less the absolute impact to the consumer,” she said. Condello said NCS had made significant progress on developing user requirements and “some of the more technical requirements” involved in wireless PAS. Implementation of wireless priority access between GSM and CDMA systems is only “nominally” different, she said. GSM platform already has tiers of service embedded into its operating structure, she said. Wireless PAS provides access to certain NS/EP users by queuing them up for next available spot on networks when they're congested during emergencies. That concept of tiering doesn’t already exist for CDMA so developers have had to take into account adding it to technology that enables PAS. Several sources said whether full funding was provided to PAS for fiscal 2003 was key as to level of functionality that first national rollout of system would allow. “Fundamentally this is a service that the federal government asked commercial carriers to provide,” Condello said. “Commercial carriers are willing to do the right thing,” she said, and funding now is up to congressional appropriations process. “If the federal government doesn’t place sufficient priority to fund development or implementation, it draws into question whether it’s a priority.”