House Members Prod Officials on Interop Grants
House members focused on disagreements on how to spend interoperability grant money and which cities are truly at high risk in a Wed. grilling of high-ranking officials. The House Subcommittee on Emergency Communications heard testimony on Public Safety Interoperability Communications (PSIC) grants from Corey Gruber, acting DHS assistant secy. for grants & training; NTIA Dir. John Kneuer; and Charles Dowd, N.Y. Police Dept. Communications dir. Homeland Security Committee Chmn. Thompson (D-Miss.) voiced concern later that Kneuer’s reading of the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act -- which sets aside the interop money -- conflicts with his own.
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Already unhappy about a laggard NTIA-DHS interop memo of understanding (CD Feb 23 p1), Thompson challenged Kneuer on a claim that grant money can be spent only on technology. Thompson wants money made available for education, drills, administration and broader interop uses. Kneuer said the “plain language of the statute” doesn’t allow financing of interagency governance, for example. Thompson said he had a “difference of opinion” with Kneuer’s claim that grants can’t go for purposes other than technology.
Thompson asked to meet with Kneuer and Gruber to iron out differences. Asked if Thompson’s office is satisfied with the officials’ answers, a staffer said “No. That’s why we're arranging a meeting.”
Rep. Etheridge (D-N.C.) asked what is being done to maintain basic operations in safety networks. “In Katrina we saw a loss of operability” at a basic level, he said, and “you can’t have interoperability” without a functioning network infrastructure. Gruber said DHS wants to make sure safety networks are complementary. Both officials stressed that disaster readiness is a far higher priority than before. A spokesman for Etheridge said he wasn’t satisfied with the officials’ answers and “feels there needs to be more funding for basic operations planning and equipment.”
Several members asked why the biggest disaster targets aren’t getting the most grant money. “In its short history DHS has made serious mistakes in distributing funds” to cities, said Rep. Lowey (D-N.Y.). She asked Gruber why grants are limited to the 6 highest-risk areas and if PSIC would “face an unnecessary and artificial limit.” Gruber said DHS feels “there’s a balance that needs to be struck” between funding high-risk areas and “trying to raise the baseline across the country.” Kneuer said “the existing formula is a good starting point” but conceded the need for flexibility.
Dowd wants cities to get the money directly, and a return to focus on high-risk areas, he said. “We see this as an issue of ensuring the money goes to the place where the greatest risk is,” he said, adding that hurricanes Katrina and Rita were “a great tragedy” but terror attacks were the main spur to improving interop emergency communications.
Thompson said better funding priorities are reflected in HR-1, which cleared the House in Jan., and S-4, passed late Tues. (CD March 14 p10). He prefers HR-1 but both bills do enough to address questions of ineffective spending in low- risk areas, he said. After the hearing, Thompson predicted drawn-out conference negotiations, saying whatever compromise is reached will improve on circumstances now.