The Memorial Day weekend is coming to a close. The words in the usual speeches at events from coast to cost have faded. The fireworks over cities and towns that were brilliant for a few seconds turned to cinders that quickly drifted to ground. And the dress uniforms of the police, fire and emt's are back in the closet.

The lofty words and promises are just that. It is up to you as a first responder to do your best to make sure that the communications needs for all first responders become a reality.

The hard work begins again tomorrow.

Donny Jackson of MRT Wireless reports what Chairman Barton laid out at the DTV hearing today,

"It is an evolving document," Barton said. "There's really only one principle that's not on the table--that the date certain not become a date uncertain."

By completing the transition to digital TV, 700 MHz spectrum can be allocated for public-safety uses and be auctioned to commercial service providers, who are expected to pay between $10 billion to $28 billion for the airwaves--money needed as Congress tries to fill a $4.8 billion funding gap in the budget".

Now let's see how this set in stone principle will begin to be undermined by the broadcasters.

You can't turn around in Washington without tripping over a panel discussion, press conference, book release, policy meeting or hearing that is related to spectrum and the dtv transition. The New America Foundation had their event on Tuesday, May 24 and presented their perspective to as many who could attend.

Looking back at the Telecommunications Act of 1996 is a good way to understand the special interest lobbying that went on back then. It is already apparent to everyone that that was child's play compared to the lobbying that is and will take place this time around.

New America's senior researcher, J.H. Snider, has released a book that could be helpful in understanding the broadcasters' influence. "Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick: How Local TV Broadcasters Assert Power" is very timely. The road ahead will be bumpy for first responders.

The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant application will be able to be filed online starting on May 31, 2005. You have until June 28, 2005 to submit your completed application.

The SAFER Grants provide funding for the hiring of fire personnel and incentives for volunteer recruitment and retention. Through the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2005, Congress provided $715 million for the Assistance to Firefighters Grants, with $65 million of this funding specified for SAFER

Review the SAFER program guidance document asap to see how your company can benefit.

National Journal's Drew Clark offers his assessment of the battle going on in D.C. that will directly affect all first responders. "Lobbying Heats Up on the DTV Transition Date," points out that, "...an association including the affiliates of ABC and NBC has been meeting with Hispanic and African-American legislators in an effort to oppose a premature hard date. Legislators from inner-city and rural areas have been particularly concerned about the fallout of a hard date on their constituents, many of whom have limited incomes."

There is no doubt about it, the above mentioned association and the National Association of Broadcasters will use every angle to avoid any near term hard transition date. Rural areas and those cities that are in hard economic times are exactly where better communications are most neeeded.

We at the First Response Coalition (FRC) have just released a white paper called "A Quantum Leap In Public Safety: Spectrum Solutions For First Responder Communication Needs."

Now it is time for first responders to do their homework. My short survey of first responders at a recent combined emt/firefighter event showed me that few first responders have a clue as to what is going on in D.C. when it comes to spectrum issues and the DTV debate. One guy even said he had never heard of an engine with a "digital transmission."

The FRC wants to educate the public in order to gain the public's support for first responders. Therefore, responders have to know what they are talking about.

So take a few minutes and review the paper on our site and get ready to enlist the public's help in our mutual fight for a quantum leap forward in communications for us all.

The deadline for the switch from the analog signal to digital signal has to be set in stone. The nebulous December 31, 2006 or when eighty-five percent of television owners can receive the signal is obviously too soft.

I would like to propose a date certain that will have a clear meaning to everyone in the country and a date that shows everyone that the Congress in Washington has a rational set of priorities.

The date I have in mind is September 11, 2006.

You may say that sixteen months from now is too short. I say that five years after the tragedy of 9/11 is too long. Police, fire, emergency medical personnel, and public safety communications officials can no longer wait for the broadcast interests to set the time schedule.

It is time for all first responders and their organizations to reach out to the general public across the country and explain what the deadline is and how concerned citizens can help. It is also time to reach out to other organizations that can help first responders succeed in establishing this meaningful deadline.

September 11, 2006. Why not?

No wonder no date has been set for the digital transition. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is part of the Congressional family. Literally. NAB uses the spouses and kids of Congressmen for commercials. And the Congress eats it up. Free local commercials.

"NAB is proud to once again team up with the Congressional Club to educate citizens on these important issues," said NAB President and CEO Edward O. Fritts. "Local television and radio stations are committed to providing airtime to address social, health and public safety concerns."

While it is a good idea to help communities through the Congressional Club Public Service Announcement program run by NAB, it is also a masterful lobbying tool. If you're with the spouse and kids you're part of the family.

Maybe first responders should have the Congressional families over to the fire station or police headquarters for dinner some evening so they can better understand what emergency preparedness really is. Then the Congressional families can go and tell NAB what first responders really need: more spectrum, now.

Check out Heather Forsgren Weaver's article in RCR Wireless News today on public safety groups going after the National Association of Broadcaster's stupid remarks on interoperability to Capitol Hill last week.

"WASHINGTON - Public-safety advocates fought back last week against broadcaster attempts to slow the move toward setting a hard date to finish the transition to digital TV.

"The National Association of Broadcasters' cavalier dismissal of public-safety needs also overlooks the fact that improved interoperability is just one benefit of the 700 MHz band. The additional spectrum is also required to alleviate dangerous congestion on public-safety systems, especially in major metropolitan areas. Existing public-safety spectrum bands are completely full in such areas, with no room for expansion. This spectrum congestion existed back in 1997 when the Congress required that 24 megahertz from the 700 MHz band be re-allocated to public safety. The congestion is even worse today, due to population expansion and the new homeland-security obligations imposed on public-safety agencies since Sept. 11, 2001. Public-safety agencies also need additional spectrum in the 700 MHz band to implement new high-speed data and video systems that will greatly enhance their ability to protect the safety of life and property in today's increasingly dangerous world," according to a letter eight organizations sent to Capitol Hill.

NAB told Congress late last month that corporate interests were using public-safety needs unnecessarily. "The Computer Systems Policy Project wrongly asserts that local stations' occupation of TV spectrum is hindering the rollout of public-safety communications interoperability," said NAB President Edward Fritts.

In 1997, Congress said that in 2007, broadcasters would have to return the extra 6 megahertz of spectrum given to TV broadcasters to facilitate the DTV transition. But there was a caveat: TV broadcasters could keep the spectrum if more than 15 percent of the homes in their viewing areas could not receive digital signals. Removing the caveat has become known as establishing a hard date and has been widely encouraged by the wireless industry, which wants access to some of the spectrum. Congress set aside 24 megahertz of the spectrum for public safety with the rest for commercial uses. Some has already been auctioned.

Legislation was introduced last month to end the DTV transition on Dec. 31, 2006, and give spectrum to public safety..."

When your TV went haywire everyone used to say that the set was "on the fritz."

Well the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has been "on the fritz", and dead wrong for a long time.

That is because the NAB have been led by Edward O. Fritts in the wrong direction when it comes to helping first responders solve the spectrum crisis. Andrew Jay Schwartzman, president of the nonprofit Media Access Project and one of the broadcasting industry's most effective opponents, said, "... the fact is that the NAB has fought innovation rather than embracing it. It treated digital TV as an opportunity to hold the country hostage while it kept billions of dollars of publicly owned spectrum from being opened to competition."

So it's time to put Fritts and the NAB "on the fritz" and get the broadcasters to take responsibility for their actions which are directly impacting first responders in a negative way.

The Office of State and Local Coordination and Preparedness in the Office of Domestic Preparedness has a fast approaching application deadline for the Transit Security Grant Program. May 6, 2005 is the deadline for this in depth application.

But don't go rushing out and try and to apply because the applicant is your State Administrative Agency designated to head the program. There is $150 million designated for this program, $5 million of which is for a competitive application for cities with ferry service.

The reason I am drawing attention to this is that part of the funding allocated to the selected regions and cities can be used for interoperable communications under the Facility Security section. You may want to push a little harder for your communications needs with the folks who make the final allocations in you city or region.

While the funding from these grants will build on the foundations established during previous grant cycles, areas and cities who are not on the list this time should review the intricate process and the guidelines to prepare for future funding cycles. After all, folks not on the list have transit security needs also, so you may as well know what you are talking about when you approach your senators and congressmen for future funds.

It takes a lexicon of acronyms to even understand the process but you might as well get into the alphabet soup.

The appendix has a guidance document "...for Development of Interoperable Communications Plans" and a link to the SAFECOM grant guidance materials. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp/docs/fy2005tsgp.pdf