$968 Million in Interoperability Grants Announced
First responders have 30 days to complete applications for $968 million in nationwide interoperability grants, under government guidelines announced Wednesday. But the deadline should be manageable since public safety groups have been in talks with the government for several months about the program, said officials from the Departments of Homeland Security and Commerce, which are jointly managing the program. California got the highest grant allocation, $94 million. Texas was second at $65 million.
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Grants can be used for emergency communications equipment and some training. Each state and Puerto Rico was given $3 million as a base. The rest of the money will be distributed based on a state’s threat level. Public safety agencies are required to make a 20 percent match to the grants, which will be awarded September 30. Applicants are required to submit plans to the government outlining how they plan to achieve interoperability in the 700 MHz band. Plans must specify how grant money would promote interoperability.
The grants will help communities close “gaps” in interoperability identified through surveys the past year, said Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. The agencies expect the country to meet a “baseline” level of interoperability before 2009, and grant-funded projects must be completed before fiscal 2011. The baseline is for governments and safety officials to be able to talk to each other in a crisis. Establishing a chain of command is as important as getting enough money, said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
“States and cities have to ultimately reach agreement on governance,” Chertoff said: “That’s something the federal government can’t do, but we can put the tools on the table.” Chertoff said the government has been funding interoperability efforts “for years” and much progress has been made. But the public safety grants, which were authorized under legislation that set the 2009 DTV transition deadline, will continue to build emergency communications capabilities, he said.
Chertoff said it’s “not true” that first responders’ biggest need is a common frequency on a network that would enable widespread communication. Technology exists that allow communities to switch frequencies during emergencies. Sometimes that is as simple as switching systems that equipment is plugged in to, so it works, he said. But many public safety groups say a more fundamental problem exists that can only be solved with a nationwide network. The International Association of Fire Chiefs, for example, said it has been “vigorously engaged” for more than a year in efforts to build a public safety broadband network. The association has yet to endorse plans being discussed at the FCC.
Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., reiterated her disappointment with the grant program in a media statement Wednesday (CD July 17 p1). It does not provide enough money to achieve “true national interoperability,” Harman said. But she praised the agencies for using a risk-based formula for setting state grant amounts.