Lawmakers Acknowledge Need for General Funds to Build Public-Safety Network: "Congressional members of the House subcommittee on communications, technology and the Internet heard views from the public-safety community and commercial carriers on the best option for the 700 MHz D block spectrum Thursday, with several lawmakers noting general funds might be the only way to ensure buildout of a nationwide public-safety broadband network."

Baltimore Co. begins $57 million public safety radio network overhaul: "Baltimore County is upgrading their outdated public safety radio transmission network. And last week, Governor Martin O’Malley and County Executive Jim Smith hailed the construction of a new radio tower as the first step towards the $57 million project completion.

“This three-year project will further improve our first responders’ ability to communicate with each other, with relevant County agencies as well as with our partners at the state and throughout the region,” Smith said in a statement.

The new interoperable network will upgrade the existing analog network to digital, improving the ability to use encryption and secure transmission and increasing the radio network’s coverage area. Baltimore County Police and Fire Department use over 6,000 two-way radios, which will either be replaced, or be outfitted with enhanced software that accepts digital transmissions benefit from the enhanced network and they will work in conjunction with the Department of Public Works by folding the DPW channel frequency into the new public safety network"

U.S. and Mexico talk safety across the fence: "The United States and Mexico will establish a new cross-border communications network including voice, data and video channels to support their law enforcement and public safety agencies, officials announced.

The Homeland Security Department and the Secretariat of Public Security of Mexico will coordinate the installation and operation of the network, according to DHS. DHS, the State department and Mexican officials signed the agreement, which also provides for joint protection from radio interference and jamming.

The goal is to create an interoperable network that will be linked to federal, state, local and tribal safety networks for the purpose of public safety and law enforcement."

Public safety communications still a work in progress, Chertoff says: "Eight years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, there has been significant progress made toward improving first-responder communications, but there is still a lot of distance to cover, former Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff told public safety officials today.

Increased funding to state and local governments, advances in radio technology and the release of the Homeland Security Department’s National Emergency Communications Plan, which outlines a strategy to improve public safety communications throughout the nation, have all contributed to more effective communications among various jurisdictions, Chertoff said."

ELF Claims Responsibility For Radio Tower Sabotage: "An environmental extremist group has claimed responsibility for toppling two towers owned by a sports radio station near Snohomish. The Earth Liberation Front group took responsibility for the act on its Web site Friday. The towers were brought down with a trackhoe."

ELF Claims Responsibility For Radio Tower Sabotage - Seattle News Story - KIRO Seattle

ELF Claims Responsibility For Radio Tower Sabotage: "An environmental extremist group has claimed responsibility for toppling two towers owned by a sports radio station near Snohomish. The Earth Liberation Front group took responsibility for the act on its Web site Friday. The towers were brought down with a trackhoe."