Public-Private Partnership Gains Support at Summit
The proposed establishment of an E-block in the 700 MHz band for a public-private partnership to build a public- safety nationwide interoperable network gained momentum at the FCC’s First Responder Summit Fri. -- though one panelist, representing a group that gets Verizon money, kept trying to kill the idea.
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The Frontline proposal, which debuted the E-block concept, wasn’t accepted hook, line and sinker. But the idea of a public-private partnership seemed to appeal to many on the public safety panel. “A conditional auction” may solve some problems that are always present when public safety tries to upgrade its communications, such as coordination and financing, said Robert Gurss, APCO dir.-govt. affairs.
One of Cyren Call’s strongest advocates, Harlen McEwen,, was more resigned than enthusiastic. Rules for the E-block have to be “carefully restricted,” said McEwen, chmn. of the communications & technology committee for the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police. “This is not about a new and innovative commercial network. This is about a new and innovative public-safety network with a commercial element.” Cyren Call Communications proposed that all 30 MHz be set aside for a public-safety broadband trust. The proposal would have required legislation and has been largely dropped from the discussion.
The First Response Coalition (FRC), which gets money from Verizon, took direct aim at Frontline. “Frontline has fatal flaws,” said Steve Jones, FRC exec. dir. “We have spent too much time where every cat, dog and devil has come out of the woodwork with a solution.” Frontline was quick to respond, calling on Verizon to stop using surrogates. “You're big enough to admit you are one of the drivers of this vehicle,” said a Frontline spokeswoman. “For the past 25 years, Verizon has not offered to build a national wireless network for public safety,”
FCC Comr. Copps said that the bottom line for him is “what’s best for public safety.” He said he would have preferred a nationwide, interoperable public-safety network built and paid for by the federal govt. With that off the table, what are left -- including public-private partnerships -- are “2nd-best alternatives,” Copps said.
Interoperability is complicated, said John Logan of the National Public Safety Telecom Council (NPSTC). “During a crisis you have a situation where either the infrastructure is non-existent or devastated,” he said. Whatever is chosen has to last at least a decade and that makes the decisions even harder, said Gurss: “We are working with a consistently moving target.”
Motorola’s representative on the 2nd panel agreed that whatever is put in place must last more than a decade. The panel, which wasn’t asked about a public-private partnership, devolved into Motorola against the world. Motorola is the biggest supplier of current public-safety radio systems and clearly plans to remain so. “Public-safety communications in the real world are different than a PowerPoint presentation. New entrants will find that things will not work,” said Stu Overby, Motorola senior dir.-global spectrum strategy.
Motorola worked with public safety to develop a wideband standard for data, but the FCC in its proposed rules tentatively decided to dump that in favor of broadband technologies. Motorola is working to have the FCC allow both broadband and wideband, arguing that broadband is more expensive because it will require more sites. Alcatel-Lucent is ready for the competition, believing broadband will win. Alcatel-Lucent hasn’t “seen the facts or data” to show that broadband costs more, said Kenneth Budka, Alcatel-Lucent technical mgr. of Bell Labs: “We welcome the opportunity to compete with wideband.”
On a separate issue, the FCC should refrain from doing more to make sure public safety uses its spectrum efficiently, said McEwen: “The Commission should take a breather and give us a little time to see how this is going to settle out.” Public safety could have a very good communications emergency network with less spectrum, said Jon Pehu, assoc. dir.-Center for Wireless & Broadband Networking at Carnegie Mellon U. While Gurss agreed public safety doesn’t use all its spectrum all the time, “when they need it, they need it,” he said.