Verizon blames “growing pains” for LTE 4G outages | VentureBeat: Verizon Wireless may be paying the price for being the first carrier in the world to widely roll out LTE 4G technology.

The carrier has pointed to the relative immaturity of LTE as the reason for its 4G service outages throughout 2011, reports GigaOm, who chatted with Verizon VP of network engineering Mike Haberman yesterday.

Homeland Security gets more cyber funding, less for science research -- Federal Computer Week: Southwestern border technology, scientific research programs and grants for state and local first responders are losing support in the Homeland Security Department’s final budget for fiscal 2012 approved by Congress. Meanwhile, cybersecurity and biosurveillance systems are among the programs gaining expanded funding.

Once upon a time in a land far, far away... | Daryl Jones' Weblog: Once upon a time in the land of Far-Far-Away in the State of Insolvent there were some chiefs from Bewildered County. They had an old-fashioned stupid plain vanilla analog radio system that worked perfectly two thirds of the time, but the other third of the time their radios had a little static.

Even though it almost never-ever failed completely it just wasn’t rosy and perfect. They could still talk to all their neighbors (who had old-fashioned stupid plain vanilla analog radio systems too), but not directly to the Big Department in Crooked County hundreds of miles away, or to the Inspectors from the State of Insolvent or the Men from Far-Far-Away. And most importantly, it just wasn’t shiny and NEW. .....

Communications upgrade for first responders - Washington Times: Congress must decide between a fiscally irresponsible 20th-century model of dedicated, expensive public-safety networks that become rapidly obsolete or a 21st-century model of cost-effective public-private, shared infrastructure. Our country can afford neither billions of dollars to build and operate a new dedicated public-safety network nor the reallocation of commercial spectrum to dedicated public-safety use when a far more cost-effective path forward is available.

Consumers Energy: interoperability, in-house and out | Intelligent Utility: In-house, Gillmore [director of enterprise architecture and standards and chief architect] explained, "guiding principle number one is loosely coupled, layered architectures. You should be able to change layers out without breaking the upper stack. We've taken those principles into our architectural smart grid approach for interoperability. Loosely coupled and layered architecture allows electric meters to be agnostic of the underlying communications technology. Our selected technology allows us to use any of the nation's major wireless carriers. This approach also allows us to use any electric meter technology, as appropriate."

In the 'It Should Be So Easy Department', Biden Breathlessly Claims Broadband Wireless is a Replacement for LMR : "Instead of the old radios they use now, first responders will communicate with devices that will also let them transmit video, images and data. Firefighters will be able to download building schematics onto their devices to find the best routes to safety. A police officer will be able to quickly determine if the car in the traffic stop is stolen or if the driver has an outstanding warrant. EMTs will be able to transmit pictures from an accident scene ahead to doctors in the emergency room. Lives will, quite simply, be saved."

Big Money for Public Safety Broadband?: "WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama will today detail his plan to win the future by catalyzing the buildout of high-speed wireless services that will enable businesses to grow faster, students to learn more, and public safety officials to access state-of-the-art, secure, nationwide, and interoperable mobile communications."

Mesmerized by Technology Department: "Hoping to solve problems fingered by a 9/11 commission, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted a Third Report and Order (Order) and Fourth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) drafted to advance communications interoperability for U.S. first responders."

Critical Stewardship

A friend recently wondered why so many large radio projects for public safety are on the skids. The answer is many-faceted, but the common characteristic of successful projects is simple: Critical stewardship.

Fiscal discipline is the heart of critical stewardship. Stewards include not only the users of such systems, but elected representatives and, ultimately, the public that pays for them. Costs - all costs - are examined from the beginning. Sources of funding are closely examined, with conservative assumptions taken with fiscal questions. Funding is assumed to come directly from the affected jurisdictions rather than taxpayers in others who are already paying for their own needs. Cautious practicality serves best, avoiding emotional appeals and purveyors of glittering generalities.

The simple question can be asked, "Is this sustainable?" Sustainability includes operation, maintenance, and life cycle replacement of systems. If those costs, alone, are prohibitive, some other "solution" is in order. The features and promised benefits may be attractive, but "Field of Dreams" projects are generally irresponsible - unless they are funded by individuals, companies, or directly-accountable officials who will bear the costs if failure befalls.

Emergency Support Function #2 - The United States' National Response Framework (NRF) defines a series of emergency support functions or ESFs. The second of these is communications. According to the NRF, "[c]ommunications supports the restoration of the communications infrastructure, facilitates the recovery of systems and applications from cyber attacks, and coordinates Federal communications support to response efforts during incidents requiring a coordinated Federal response." The National Communications System, part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), coordinates doctrine and implementation of ESF #2. It also has the primary Federal responsibility for support of restoration of common carrier capabilities following disasters, while the DHS Federal Emergency Management Agency has primary Federal responsibility for assisting restoration of public safety communications capabilities.

While ESF #2 activations outside of major emergencies or disasters are rare, the concept of ESFs is useful in discussing the functional centers of necessary capabilities and support during emergencies.

All-Hazards ICS COML Website - The website linked here provides official information on the all-hazards Communications Leader (COML) position under the Incident Command System (ICS) of the National Incident Management System (NIMS). The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) developed the training and conducted a series of classes nationwide that had over 2,000 participants. There is an unofficial Yahoo Group where many ongoing questions are asked and answered by practitioners.

All-Hazards ICS Communications Unit Leader (COML) - The State of Tennessee has been a leader in using the Incident Command System (ICS) to improve communications during emergencies. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency has adopted standardized training for all-hazards ICS Communications Unit Leaders (COMLs) and procedures for credentialing at three levels, starting at the local level. There's even a Yahoo group for Tennessee COMLs.

Combined with ongoing support of state officials, these steps make Tennessee one of the best prepared states in the nation to assure response-level emergency communications needs are met.

Communications Technician (COMT) Training Courses: "Communications Technician (COMT) Training Courses" - All-hazards ICS Communications Technician training is ramping up. This week-long course, developed by the DHS Office of Emergency Communications, is designed to provide individuals who will serve in the role of a COMT during incident response with skills and resources. This is the official, all-hazards training for the ICS position.

Debate heats up on the Hill over sale of public safety spectrum - Nextgov:

Does the country need to allocate more scare spectrum so people can use their iPhones at max speed everywhere, or should it be reserved for public safety communications?"

FCC reveals more details about public-safety network plans: "An FCC official revealed more details about how the nationwide public-safety mobile broadband network will come to fruition. Jamie Barnett, chief of the FCC's public safety and homeland security bureau, indicated the FCC plans to establish an interoperability center and rule on individual 700 MHz broadband waiver requests by mid-summer. The commission is also looking to prepare for a D Block auction next year and lobby Congress to fund the rollout of the public-safety network."

Channelized Communications - Andrew Seybold: "The Following is a copy of an email I sent to FCC Commissioner Robert M. McDowell. I have reprinted it below because it helps to explain why channelized communications systems are and will continue to be needed by first responder and other two-way radio (Land Mobile Radio) systems for years to come. This is one of the most difficult subjects to explain to someone whose only experience with wireless is the use of a cell phone for voice and other services. Today’s cell phone systems, and those being built out as next-generation systems are not capable of providing the types of services discussed below."

Werner on Virtual USA - podcast: "The nation's ability to share information seamlessly across localities, states and regions still is limited. To address the problem, the DHS Science and Technology Directorate's Command, Control and Interoperability Division — assisted by the First Responder Technologies program — created Virtual USA."

FCC unveils plan for public safety network: "Federal efforts to create interoperable first-responder communications could receive a boost with an FCC plan to spend between $12 million and $16 million on a nationwide interoperable public safety wireless broadband network.

James Barnett, head of the FCC's public safety and homeland security bureau, wrote about FCC plans Wednesday in a blog post.

'Our central recommendation is the creation of a nationwide interoperable public safety broadband wireless network through incentive-based partnerships between public safety agencies and the partner of their choice,' he wrote. His plan 'also recommends that the FCC create an Emergency Response Interoperability Center (ERIC) to ensure a baseline of operability and interoperability for the network nationwide.'"

FCC plan calls for 'minimal' public safety fee for all broadband users: "The FCC's National Broadband Plan, released today, calls for a new 'minimal' fee on all U.S. broadband users to help pay for a new $16 billion nationwide emergency response wireless network.

Public safety officials have pleaded for such an interoperable network to aid their response to disasters and potential attacks since firefighters and police could not communicate effectively during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the response following Hurricane Katrina."

DHS Announces New Interoperability Grants for Border States: "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) launched the Border Interoperability Demonstration Project (BIDP), a competitive demonstration grant program designed to identify innovative solutions to emergency communications challenges along and across the border. Applications are due April 26."