Congress Promises DTV Action for Emergency Communications
Emergency communications would get a major boost if Congress passes DTV legislation freeing spectrum for public safety uses, Senate Commerce Committee Chmn. Stevens (R-Alaska) said at a hearing examining needs of first responders. If the bill doesn’t pass, Stevens said, future funding for interoperable communications would be difficult to get through Congress in coming years. “We want to work on this,” he said, promising a DTV bill markup Oct. 19 in preparation for delivery to the Senate Budget Committee Oct. 26. The House DTV bill is likely to be marked up the same week as the Senate’s, after an Oct. 10-14 break, industry sources said.
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“We need more spectrum, better equipment and better coordination,” said Sen. Boxer (D-Cal.). Many lawmakers and govt. officials said part of the reason emergency communications systems don’t work is the tangle of bureaucracies that oversee local jurisdictions. Many fail to coordinate, contributing to the communications breakdowns. Boxer cited the Bay area, with 17 agencies responsible for attending to emergencies on the Golden Gate Bridge. Not all use the same radio system, and they couldn’t talk to each other during an emergency, she said: “The consequence could be a chaotic nightmare.”
Boxer is pushing for more funding to give public safety groups better equipment, a task local govts. can’t afford, she said. But the problem is bigger than lack of money or equipment, said House Telecom Subcommittee Chmn. Upton (R-Mich.) in a separate hearing on interoperable communications. “Thousands of shiny new radios will not fix the problem if we don’t have a strategic plan that allows all of these new radios to interact with each other,” he said: “We need a national vision for funding, equipment and technology.”
A govt. public safety effort that set 2023 as a goal for all emergency communications systems to be fully compatible drew fire from House committee members. “Why 2023? Why so long? “ Rep. Stupak (D-Mich.) asked David Boyd, dir.-Office of Interoperability & Compatibility (OIC) within the Dept. of Homeland Security. Boyd said 2023 was a “long-term vision” of planners trying to predict when first responders could operate on a national system of standards. But he told Stupak emergency communications systems could be upgraded within 3-5 years, while the office continues to work on a national set of standards. “There are no immediate, silver bullet fixes to the financial, technical and cultural challenges that face us,” said Boyd.
“I don’t know what the will of this committee is, but I'm disappointed that we still have problems with interoperability,” said House Commerce Committee Chmn. Barton (R-Tex.), testifying at the hearing. He said the committee would be looking into a statutory standard to solve the problem: “I'm not saying it’s the solution, but it’s something we're looking at.” Barton also questioned FCC Chmn. Martin about why he formed a new bureau within the agency dedicated to public safety/homeland security issues -- a move that will require congressional approval. “There are many issues across the bureau relating to this and we felt it was best to have one group of people focused on this,” Martin said. He told Barton the move wouldn’t require additional money or employees.
Sen. Sununu (R-N.H.) questioned whether federal and state “micromanagement and manipulation” have impeded standards setting. “Does this discourage innovation of new technologies?” he asked. “You've just made the case we've been arguing,” Boyd said. “We believe this process needs to be driven by first responders. We should listen to what their requirements are and respond -- this can’t be pushed down on them.”
Meanwhile, the Govt. Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report Wed. that first responders are challenged by a lack of interoperable emergency communications. Its recommendations to the Dept. of Homeland Security and other federal agencies: (1) Complete a database on communication frequencies. (2) Determine the status of wireless public safety communications nationwide. (3) Tie grant funding to statewide interoperability plans. (4) Review the interoperability functions of Safety Interoperable Communications Program (SAFECOM). “DHS has agreed to take some, but not all, of the corrective actions we recommended,"” the report said.