T-MOBILE WINS FIRST WIRELESS PRIORITY CONTRACT FROM NCS
Planners of wireless priority access service (PAS) system have turned to Office of Management & Budget in effort to restore $73 million for program trimmed from defense spending bills last fall. Meanwhile, National Communications System (NCS) said Tues. it had awarded contract for T-Mobile USA to be initial carrier for PAS. NCS Deputy Mgr. Brenton Greene said his agency was working to provide funding that would cover full operating capacity for PAS by year-end.
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PAS is designed to give priority to national security personnel and first responders in emergencies. The $73 million sought by Bush Administration for program after Sept. 11 attacks was zeroed out of defense appropriations bill last fall. While 2003 funding has remained uncertain, NCS had said last year it still planned to begin nationwide rollout of initial operating capability of service by year-end. That part of program still was on track because $208 million set aside to get service off ground was “any year” money. However, $73 million trimmed was needed for full operational capacity of program beyond 2003.
“We are working with OMB to see if we could try to find funds somewhere to restore the $73 million, to see if there’s any sort of money available to get that to proceed,” NCS spokesman said.
Another source said NCS was talking with OMB and Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) on funding for program this year and beyond. DHS and OMB reportedly support rolling that funding into budget. NCS is among federal agencies that will migrate under umbrella of DHS. Last fall, several sources said PAS money was cut from $355.1 billion DoD spending bill because of jurisdictional questions over whether funds should be part of military budget bills or homeland security package.
NCS and T-Mobile didn’t disclose value of contract. NCS said it planned to add other wireless carriers to program -- AT&T Wireless, Cingular, Nextel -- “in the near future.” CDMA carriers such as Sprint PCS and Verizon Wireless would be added “as soon as funding allows.” Limited PAS capability has been available since May in Washington and N.Y.C. Now initial nationwide capability is available in Atlanta, Birmingham, Ala., Boston, Jacksonville, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Mobile, Nashville, New Orleans, Norfolk, Philadelphia and Richmond, NCS said. Additional markets, which NCS didn’t name, will be added in the next few months, it said.
“T-Mobile is the first of what we hope will be a full slate of major wireless carriers ready to step up and support WPS [wireless priority service] nationwide,” NCS’s Greene said. “We are also working very hard to secure funding and complete the work that will allow us to reach a full operating capability of WPS by the end of 2003.”