Washington is usually pretty quiet this time of year as Members of Congress return to their districts and people leave to head back home for the holidays. This week, however, DC has seen a flurry of activity on the first responder communications front.

Most notably, the FCC's new Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau proposed a nation-wide, public safety communications network based on advanced Internet Protocol broadband technologies. Such technologies could enable first responders to use voice, video, graphics, intelligence, medical, and other forms of data through multimedia communications.

The gist of the plan is to use 12 MHz of the 24MHz spectrum already set aside for public safety as part of the transition to digital television, and set up a public-private partnership to implement the network. The spectrum would be assigned to a single national licensee (as opposed to individual public safety agencies) that could then offer public-safety agencies voluntary access to a broadband service for a fee.

Establishing a nation-wide, public safety communications network capable of providing broadband technologies is no easy task. FCC Commissioner Copps was correct when he noted that doing so will require addressing a number of "complex technical and policy questions." A few questions off the top of my head are related to governance, funding and coordination.

Governance - What policies, processes and procedures need to be established to enhance coordination and cooperation, reduce jurisdictional conflicts, and make the network a reality?

Funding - What kind of revenue will be generated through voluntary access to a broadband service?

Coordination/Collaboration - How do you create a governance structure that will allow multiple jurisdictions and agencies to overcome historical and political silos?

The Department of Justice's COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) program has developed "a comprehensive, user-friendly guidebook that provides strategies, best practices, and recommendations for public safety agencies seeking to develop or already engaged in interagency communications projects."

The guidebook, Law Enforcement Tech Guide for Communications Interoperability, explores current and emerging technologies in voice and data communications, and provides planning tools to help achieve interoperable communication initiatives.

It is intended to serve as a companion to the COPS-funded "Law Enforcement Tech Guide: How to plan, purchase and manage technology (successfully!) - A Guide for Executives, Managers and Technologists."

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, the Empire State was, not surprisingly, one of the first to recognize the importance of communications interoperability. But turf tussles and funding concerns have thrown a wrench into the effort.

According to the office of the State CIO, the State has set out to build "the Statewide Wireless Network to meet New York's emergency communications needs for the 21st century. Several technologies will be deployed to achieve 95 percent coverage of the state's geography and 97 percent of the state's roadways." When completed, the system will support interoperable communications for up to 65,000 users.

Sounds great, doesn't it? Government working with first responders to save lives and protect property... as it should be. Unfortunately, a recent story from the Journal-Register paints a dramatically different picture.

While local police departments in the Niagara area want to join the statewide network, Erie County is taking a "wait-and-see" approach and is buying equipment to build its own network. Local agencies say the statewide system is the best bet for providing interoperability, while county officials say the state's plan is unproven and costly.

I won't dissect the entire article, nor will I take sides on the issue. Judging from what was reported on it seems all parties have legitimate concerns. But I would encourage you to read through it as it reinforces the oft-repeated notion that technology is but one aspect of achieving interoperability.

In fact, I would argue that technology is the least complex aspect of interoperability. Human factors- such as planning and coordination, standards, and funding- pose challenges to which there is no "silver bullet." The trick for the folks in the Niagara region will be finding a way to work together to overcome these challenges.

Any ideas?

On the heels of the FRC's recent event at the National Press Club, the Congressional Research Service has released a new report, Emergency Communications Legislation, 2002-2006: Implications for the 110th Congress.

I've yet to actually read the report, but I am sure it will make a great supplement to the FRC's National Press Club event. (I say that only half-jokingly... the FRC event really was a great success.)

Click here to access the new report, where the good folks at HLS Watch have posted it to their website.

The FRC's event at the National Press Club, The Post-Election Landscape for Public Safety Communications: 2007 Predictions and Recommendations, was a smash!

The FRC assembled some of public safety's most influential voices to discuss how legislation, regulation, and technology may intersect in 2007 to improve public safety communications capabilities.

The panel of experts offered a number of insights and predictions for 2007, but all agreed that (1) COLLABORATION among federal, state, and local agencies, (2) identifying FUNDING sources for local and state governments, and (3) securing enough SPECTRUM will continue to be issues in 2007.

Click here for a brief summary of what insights the expert panelists provided.

Click here to read coverage of the event, as reported in TRDaily.

A complete transcript of the event can be found by clicking here.

The First Response Coalition (FRC) today called on Congress to designate September 25th as "National First Responders Appreciation Day." This long-overdue national day of recognition would honor the millions of first responders who risk their lives to protect America's communities. The FRC will urge Congress to consider the measure in early 2007.

The FRC today released a draft resolution that outlines the many reasons that first responders deserve a national day of thanks and appreciation. This call for a national day of recognition has already received bipartisan support from Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Representative Jane Harman (D-CA).

Click here to learn more about the FRC's call for a "National First Responders Appreciation Day."

Just hours before Congress adjourned for the year, Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) introduced an amendment to the "Call Home Act of 2006," making available $1 billion in interoperability funds to public-safety agencies in 2007. The Stevens Amendment reads as follows:

Pursuant to section 3006 of Public Law 109-171 (47 U.S.C. 309 note), the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information of the Department of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, shall award no less than $1,000,000,000 for public safety interoperable communications grants no later than September 30, 2007 subject to the receipt of qualified applications as determined by the Assistant Secretary.

$1 billion is no small chunk of change, and the much-needed money has the potential to really benefit first responder communications. As MRT magazine reports, "...the measure means public-safety entities can apply for the $1 billion in interoperability funds soon instead of waiting until after the 700 MHz auction- the funding source- is completed. Currently, that auction is scheduled is scheduled to begin by January 2008, according to digital-television transition legislation passed early this year."

But it is also worth pointing out that there may exist a real opportunity to squander this money, too. Unlike Steven's Communications Bill, which identified how and where the $1 billion should be spent, the amendment attached to the "Call Home Act of 2006" offers no such guidance.

How the money is allocated, and to whom it gets allocated, remains unclear.

Leading Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee are skeptical of the administration's plan to have cohesive emergency communications systems across the country by the end of 2008.

"It is disappointing that it has taken five years since the attacks of September 11th for the Administration to finally turn its attention to this issue," incoming committee chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Rep. Nita M. Lowey, D-N.Y., wrote in a Dec. 8 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

The department released a report Dec. 8 that did not reveal any major surprises. But it is the first of its kind and the department hopes it will point officials in the right direction when it comes to solving the problem of first-responders' abilities to talk to each other during emergencies.

According to the department's 2006 National Interoperability Baseline Survey, the majority of agencies across the country need to establish the proper governance structures to achieve interoperable communications and make sure everyone involved knows how the systems work before an emergency.

"I don't know how he's going to do it," Thompson said of Chertoff's promise to achieve nationwide interoperability by the end of 2008.

I don't know how Chertoff plans on achieving interoperability in all 50 states by the end of 2008 either, and judging from the lack of details about the plan neither does DHS.

Nonetheless, I do think that committing the DHS to this ambitious goal is both admirable and essential. Setting clearly defined goals, including "target dates," is needed to make real progress towards solving the communications crisis.

Finally... after months of delay, the Department of Homeland Security has released its National Interoperability Baseline Survey. By providing a statistical snapshot of the current capacity of interoperability across local, tribal, and state emergency response agencies, the National Interoperability Baseline Survey:

1. Determined the capacity for interoperable communications among law enforcement, fire, and EMS agencies across the nation

2. Established a process and mechanism to facilitate regular measures of communications interoperability

3. Generated data to help emergency response agencies make better-informed decisions about how to most effectively allocate resources for improving communications interoperability

4. Gathered information to inform future efforts for education, incentives, and planning needed to continue improving interoperability capabilities across the country.

The survey's key findings are as follows:

1. Approximately two-thirds of agencies reporting use interoperability to some degree

2. Agencies tend to be more developed in technology and certain governance-related interoperability areas than they are in standard operating procedures and exercises

3. Smaller agencies tend to be less advanced in interoperability than larger agencies.

4. Law enforcement, fire response and EMS agencies tend to show the same level of interoperability development

5. Cross-discipline and cross-jurisdiction interoperability, at a local level, tends to be more advanced than levels of interoperability between local and state agencies

6. Agencies that operate on large, shared systems tend to be at more advanced stages of development than those that operate on stand-alone systems.

7. Moderate levels of progress in technical approaches, implementation, exercises, command and control, and standard operating procedures correlate to more frequent and regular use of interoperability solutions.

While I commend DHS on completing the survey, I have to say that my initial impression is one of mild disappointment. I had hoped the "key findings" would be more substantial - these seem incredibly broad, even vague. But to be fair, I haven't read through the complete survey results so I really can't criticize. I'll be sure to provide additional insights in the near future.

With the Democratic Party in charge of both chambers, one of the big questions from the first responder community is "how will the makeup of the new Congress affect efforts to achieve interoperability?"

The FRC's recent event at the National Press Club, The Post-Election Landscape for Public Safety Communications: 2007 Predictions and Recommendations, addressed this very issue, but something that was not mentioned was a recent recommendation by Sen. Joe Biden (D-Delaware) to set aside up to $10 billion annually to fully implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.

Sen. Biden is recommending that, over the course of five years, $53.3 billion be set aside in a Homeland Security "trust fund" to fully implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, which includes "ensuring that first responders can talk with each other by implementing strict interoperability standards, and providing them with equipment to allow them to communicate during emergencies." Much of the funding would come from a partial rollback of the Bush tax cuts to people making over $1 million a year.

It's hard not to be excited about finally getting a real shot at implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission... unless you're one of those "unlucky few" making over $1 million a year. In which case, you're probably not too excited about the prospect of your taxes increasing.

Tough, I say. It's a noble cause and well worth it. First responders need and deserve this kind of support.

That said, just throwing money at the problem won't make it go away. Adequately funding state and local efforts to achieve interoperability is critically important. However, without a national strategy to do so (which we still don't have) and collaboration between stakeholders and all levels of government, simply making more money available is tantamount to flushing it down the drain.

2007 PREDICTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Panel Discussion 4-5 PM
Reception to Immediately Follow

Expert participants include:

Program Manager/Principal Investigator of Public Safety Communications, National Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology Center

The FRC's Executive Director, Steven Jones, will moderate the roundtable discussion. Topics include:

Surveying potential legislation and regulation

What are the advances in communications technologies?

National Press Club
The Conference Rooms
529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor
Washington, DC 20045

The FRC is pleased to announce a unique gathering of public safety experts for a lively post-election discussion of first responder communications policy and technology issues. Come hear key influentials predict how legislation, regulation, and technology may intersect in 2007 to improve public safety communications capabilities.

This unique forum will provide attendees with an expert stock-take of the key public safety communications topics for 2007 - areas where all those who care about first responders can work together to make our communities safer. An informal reception will follow the roundtable for attendees to interact with presenters and to learn more about the First Response Coalition.

Please RSVP to Steven Jones, FRC Executive Director
202-263-2904, or sjones@firstresponsecoalition.org

Earlier this week, DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff announced that he wants public safety agencies in major cities to be "interoperable" by the end of 2007, and all states to be "interoperable" by the end of 2008.

However, what level of "interoperability" Secretary Chertoff was referring to remains unclear. As I noted in an interview with TRDaily, "When you're talking statewide interoperability... that doesn't necessarily mean you have every jurisdiction in a state taking advantage of it due to cost concerns. Each jurisdiction has limited ability to buy into the statewide systems."

Nonetheless, it's a laudable idea and certainly one the FRC supports. Plus, it's nice to see Secretary Chertoff publicly commit his agency to such an ambitious goal. Too many policymakers refuse to make public commitments like this in an effort to avoid being held accountable to them.

So kudos to you, Mr. Secretary. I admire your initiative.

(However, I must say that I do have my doubts. Considering that the National Interoperability Baseline Survey is already many months behind schedule, what's to make us think DHS can achieve interoperability in all 50 states by 2008?)

An article from TRDaily about Chertoff's remarks, which includes the FRC's comments, can be found on the FRC website by clicking here.