Rep. Cuellar (D-TX): Improve emergency systems: "Improving emergency communications should be a top priority for the next administration, the chairman of a House subcommittee that deals with homeland security legislation said today. In a speech, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) emphasized the importance of improving emergency response communications and interoperability, much of which depends on information technology systems. Cuellar chairs the House Homeland Security Committee’s Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response Subcommittee. Cuellar also said the next homeland security secretary should appoint an assistant secretary to manage the Homeland Security Department's Office of Emergency Communications.

“We should elevate the importance of the emergency communications of DHS,” he said. “The Office of Emergency Communications is buried in DHS.”"

Congress pushes for national emergency communications plan: "Congress criticized the Homeland Security Department on Tuesday for delaying the coordination of a national emergency communications plan for first responders, emphasizing that states have little time to take action when formulating applications for grant money. The Office of Emergency Communications, established in October 2006 in accordance with recommendations of the 9/11 commission to improve communication among emergency responders and government officials during natural disasters and acts of terrorism, was supposed to have submitted a National Emergency Communications Plan to Congress in April. The plan was developed in cooperation with state, local and tribal governments, federal agencies, emergency response providers, and the private sector. It will provide recommendations for interoperable communication during disasters by using standard technologies, such as handheld radios and broadband networks."

New Maryland communication plan: "Flanked by state and local emergency workers, [Maryland] Gov. Martin O’Malley last week launched a sweeping initiative aimed at linking the statewide communications systems used by fire, police and other first responders to better handle crisis situations. The new network will not be fully online for at least four or five years, but state officials expect parts of the system to be operational sooner. It’s designed to fill gaps in communications that have long plagued emergency responses, such as the January shootout between police and an escaped inmate who overpowered guards at Laurel Regional Hospital."

2theadvocate.com | News | Linking up — Baton Rouge, LA

Progress Toward Interoperability: "Louisiana is better prepared today to cope with emergencies thanks to an improved statewide communications plan, officials said. That plan is a change in radio communications that will allow all first-responders in the state to talk to one another.

The switchover, from the 800 MHz system to 700 MHz, began in January 2007, and should be up and running statewide by next summer, said Brant Mitchell, assistant deputy director of interoperability with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Right now, the new system is operational in all parishes south of Interstate 10 and in southeast Louisiana, Mitchell said.

“If you look at the major disasters of the last 10 years, the No. 1 problem in all of them was that police, fire and emergency agencies were not able to talk to one another,” State Police Superintendent Col. Mike Edmonson said. "The push to change is both national and local."

IAFC working group releases digital best practices: "Some digital-radio problems in fireground settings can be offset with proper procedures and training, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) said yesterday while releasing a presentation on technical best practices for using portable digital radios.

IAFC last year formed a working group to study the problems firefighters were experiencing when using digital radios in the presence of loud background noise—not only from power tools like chainsaws often found at a fireground, but also from alert mechanisms included in a firefighter’s apparatus."

FCC to overhaul D Block approach - RCR : "The Federal Communications Commission today launched a wide-ranging proceeding to revamp D-Block rules, an effort that will not only examine changes to the national public safety/commercial license left stranded in the 700 MHz auction but also consider whether the public-private partnership approach should be retained. ... Shortly after the agency’s 5-0 vote on the D Block, Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) introduced legislation to authorize $4 million to begin funding the Public Safety Spectrum Trust Corp. — the 700 MHz public-safety broadband licensee — that would partner with a winning commercial D-Block bidder under the shared wireless broadband network model."

DC Public Safety Broadband Network: "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is backing a broadband public-safety network project in Washington, although officials with the District of Columbia say several unknowns put the project’s future in doubt.

The National Capital Region (NCR) awarded a contract in early 2007 to Alcatel Lucent for an EV-DO Revision A network at 700 MHz. In September, DHS rolled out the Radio over Wireless-Broadband (ROW-B) pilot in conjunction with the D.C. Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) and Clarity Communications. The project integrates new broadband technologies with existing public-safety two-way radio systems, including the integration of location information.

The pilot includes about 200 users from NCR’s police, fire and unified communications departments who are using video on the network, said Vivek Kundra, chief technology officer (CTO) for the District of Columbia. The network is licensed through a special temporary authority (STA) license that must be renewed through the FCC every six months. Federal grants initially were used to roll out the network. Alcatel Lucent has agreed to waive its maintenance fees for a year, Kundra said."

MVNO links made, disputed in D-Block - RCR: "Public Safety Spectrum Trust Corp. Chairman Harlin McEwen has distanced himself from a key element in a Federal Communications Commission inspector general report on the unsettled 700 MHz D Block. The report, which cleared Cyren Call Communications Corp. of any wrongdoing prior to the failed auction of the D Block, described now-defunct Frontline Wireless L.L.C.’s concerns about Cyren Call’s plan to become a mobile virtual network operator that would resell service to first responders across the country."

Serious Discussion of Multiband and Cognitive Radios - MRT: "After Years of Discussion and Debate, frequency-agile radios finally are arriving, with products scheduled to hit the commercial and public safety markets later this year. The adoption rate of these technologies will go a long way toward determining whether a much-promised new paradigm regarding spectrum access, equipment costs and, ultimately, intelligent radio becomes a reality."

FIRE CHIEF Blog - Interoperability Impact: "A couple of weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate coordinated a demonstration of voice interoperability between six different manufacturers’ systems using a new Bridging System Interface. During the demonstration, gear from Motorola, Scitec, Valcom, Cisco Systems, Clarity Communications Systems and Twisted Pair Solutions were connected via the BSI, and communications were conducted in a scenario format involving state, county and local jurisdictions operating on separate bands.

DHS officials were careful to note that the BSI is not a standard, but a specification that leverages commercial voice-over-IP technology. Equipment that allows disparate radio systems to interoperate via an IP platform is nothing new, but that doesn’t mean that the various bridging systems easily interoperate with each other, said Dereck Orr, program manager for public safety communications standards for the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

“Just because it says it’s IP doesn’t mean it’s interoperable,” Orr said. “We needed to get that word out to public safety and to policymakers, as well.”"

Chief: Communication gap is 'serious liability': "[New Hampshire] police are considering working with — and paying — Hampton dispatch for a better emergency-communications system. [North Hampton] Police Chief Brian Page said Thursday he spoke with Hampton Chief Jamie Sullivan and the two plan to meet. No cost has yet been discussed, Page said. The problem is a void in communicating with cruisers on the east side of town. The issue has been ongoing, but it was raised on Monday after Page and the Board of Selectmen received a complaint from a resident regarding unacceptable emergency-response time.

'We had an emergency and police could not be reached,' Page told selectmen on Monday. 'It presents a serious liability to the town.'"

Responders test coordination skills: "The Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies converged in southern Virginia last week to demonstrate and test the interoperability of the communications systems that will need to work together for the agency’s disaster response plans to succeed.

FEMA has expanded its repertoire of scripted response plans, from 44 in 2006 to more than 240 now. It has also increased the number of agencies it coordinates with in creating scripted scenarios for such exercises, from four to 31, said Glenn Cannon, assistant administrator of FEMA's Disaster Operations Directorate."

STLtoday - Questions remain about communications plan: "JEFFERSON CITY (MO) — The concept is simple: Highway Patrol officers, police, firefighters and others responding to an emergency need to be able to talk to one another. On that everyone agrees.

But the next step has sparked a bitter fight in the Capitol. The question: Is Gov. Matt Blunt's proposal to build a statewide wireless radio network vital to public safety or a blank check for high-tech vendors? After months of debate, the plan cleared a key hurdle Thursday. Legislative negotiators approved the first $9 million payment on the $175 million system. The deal, part of the state budget, still needs final approval from both the House and Senate.

The project has drawn criticism because the state plans to use a 'design-build approach,' which means that the winning bidder would figure out how to provide the radio coverage needed."

YouTube - San Mateo County Sheriffs Digital Radio Problems: ABC News in the Bay Area reports on problems with the new shared radio system. The station reported further on Redwood City problems leading to their withdrawal from the system.

A $13M upgrade already? | Philadelphia Daily News: "JUST SIX YEARS after Philadelphia started using Motorola's expensive - and much-maligned - 800 megahertz digital radio system, city officials are considering a pricey upgrade. Frank Punzo, deputy commissioner of the Department of Public Property, said recently that he's hoping to soon see a final proposal from Motorola on a newer system, which could come with a $13 million price tag. Punzo said that the maintenance agreement on the current system - which was hailed as being state-of-the-art just a few years ago - will expire in 2010."

Citywide Wireless IP Network Launched in New York - Government Technology: "Leave it to America's biggest city to launch an equally big high-speed data network.

The New York City Wireless Network (NYCWiN) was rolled out to 70 percent of the city's police precincts and firehouses on April 1, giving the city's first responders and employees a unique public safety and public service network."

Centre County (PA) emergency system upgrade may cost $28M: "Upgrading Centre County’s emergency communications system could cost upwards of $28 million. Those numbers provided by consultants from L. Robert Kimball and Associates, Ebensburg, left the county commissioners in “sticker shock” at their meeting Tuesday. The county’s current system nears the end of its operational life.

Commissioner Chairman Jon Eich noted the system upgrades will cost each county taxpayer between $40 and $50 a year for the next 10 years, which, he said, is a small price to pay to make sure emergency communications in the county remain strong for years to come. ... Eich noted the bond that paid for the current system will be paid off in 2011, the same year that a new bond may be taken out for a new system."

Lawmakers reconsider in wake of 700 MHz auction - RCR Wireless News: "Markey and other lawmakers — as well as FCC Chairman Kevin Martin — said the commission should not abandon the public-private partnership approach as federal regulators consider changes to D-Block guidelines. Suggestions include lowering the $1.3 billion reserve price for the license, modifying the penalty associated with network-sharing agreement negotiations between the D-Block winner and the public-safety broadband licensee, clarifying upfront the obligations and expectations of the private sector partner and perhaps licensing the D Block on a regional basis with an interoperability requirement."

Police radio system fails - years after it was supposed to be fixed: "The [Philadelphia] Daily News found that the radio problems in East Frankford that night were among more than a dozen other malfunctions, mix-ups and crashes that have occurred with the Motorola system since 2005 - the same year that city officials declared that they had fixed most problems with the $62 million radio system.

Critics say that the system is still more complicated than firefighters and cops need it to be, and remains a serious liability in times of crisis.

Two years ago, in one of the most serious malfunctions, the Police Department had to rely on a backup system for three days, and kept officers in two-car teams because of safety concerns.

Problems continued as recently as March 15, when screeching noises were heard on radios in North Philadelphia and cops in the Northeast couldn't communicate with police dispatchers, police officials said."

New York Wireless Network Ready for Operational Testing in April - Government Technology: "The New York State Office for Technology (OFT) announced Monday M/A-COM Inc., the prime contractor for the network, has certified the Statewide Wireless Network is ready for operational testing in Erie and Chautauqua Counties. This is a major project milestone in the State's effort to build an interoperable radio network for emergency communication among first responders as its primary purpose.

'The Statewide Wireless Network Project Office, based on M/A-COM's certification, is ready to begin testing the network,' said Dr. Michael R. Mittleman, Deputy CIO at the New York State Office for Technology and Interim Project Director. 'We will put the network through its paces in a rigorous test and will stretch the system to its limits to ensure the system can handle radio communications during any emergency our state's first responders may face.'"