A new study issued by California's Radio Strategic Planning Committee concludes that up 80% of the state's public safety radio equipment is obsolete.

* Replacement parts are no longer available from the manufacturer
* Radios fail to meet FCC requirements
* Many radios are past their life expectancy

Yikes!

According to KABC-TV, the report estimates that it will cost $85 million to acquire modern radios. At the same time, California will have to figure out how to get state agencies on a shared frequency, so they can all talk with each other during emergencies.

So much of what it comes down to is funding and planning - something the FRC has continuously stressed as critical to achieving interoperability.

The fact that funding, coordination and aging communications equipment are major obstacles comes as no surprise. The Department of Homeland Security identified these as major challenges years ago, in conjunction with limited/fragmented radio spectrum and limited standards.

And it's worth emphasizing that these challenges aren't unique to California. A common refrain from the emergency response community is that localities too often don't have the tax base to support system and equipment upgrades, and that politics and turf tussles continue to get in the way of efforts to coordinate interoperability efforts (i.e., establish effective governance systems).

As Frank McCarton of the California Office of Emergency Services put it, "It's going to be a challenge. And we all need to work together to work to that future."

Here, here, Frank. I couldn't agree with you more...

The Radio Strategic Planning Committee report can be accessed by clicking here (PDF).