Subject: [NEXTEL-1] PSWN On-In Nevada..... Exploring Technical Solutions in the State of Nevada and More

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 03:07:35 -0400

Las Vegas, Nevada
Post-Symposium Support Report

FOREWORD

The Las Vegas, Nevada, Public Safety Wireless Network (PSWN) Program Symposium began
October 23, 2001, and concluded October 25, 2001. Booz Allen Hamilton fulfilled all of the
general
symposium and facility requirements and ensured that all attendees were registered on
site,
monitored sign-in, and distributed preconference materials. Booz Allen also assisted with
overall
presentation support, including managing each speaker's time. All PSWN Program equipment
and
the remaining symposium materials were transported back to the PSWN Program Technical
Resource Center (TRC) after the symposium. This document describes the key themes
discussed
during the symposium and includes the final attendance list. The final report will be
posted on the
Web site. Interested parties can download the report or call 1?800?565?PSWN and request a
copy
of the document.

<SNIP>

The PSWN Program Is Seeking to Provide Direct Interoperability Support
to the States

The program recognizes that the states are the linchpins for implementing
interoperability throughout the Nation. Therefore, the program is seeking to
provide direct support to individual states by initiating a dedicated state
interoperability campaign. The objective of the campaign is to encourage the
trend toward statewide systems development and to provide leadership and
expertise on interoperability issues. As a part of the state campaign, the
program will work to establish or participate in forums tasked with improving
public safety wireless communications with their respective states.

2.Exploring Technical Solutions in the State of Nevada

The Nevada Statewide Radio System is an exciting communication effort
now under way. During the symposium, a representative from the Nevada
Highway Patrol discussed this effort. This topic was presented during the
second half-day of the symposium.

The Nevada Highway Patrol Is Developing the Nevada Statewide Trunked
Radio VHF High Band System

The Nevada Statewide VHF Radio System Statewide Trunked Radio
System (NSTRS), a dispatched system serving public safety and local
governments in Nevada, was placed in service on March 1, 2001. The trunking
portion includes eight SmartZone sites serving three counties in southern
Nevada. In addition, eight SmartZone sites serve seven counties in northern
Nevada. Forty conventional sites provide coverage over the balance of the
state. These sites consist of three channels each-primary, secondary, and
multinet. The system provides 95 percent coverage of 110,561 square miles of
Nevada. This VHF highband trunked system is the widest area VHF
SmartZone system now in existence worldwide.

This system serves 18 states agencies and provides interoperability
among state and local public safety agencies and dispatch services for federal
agencies such as the FBI, Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), Drug
Enforcement Administration, and others. It provides a common platform
connecting trunked systems being placed into service by the Department of
Energy and Clark County, the most densely populated county in the state.
The new system will provide seamless communications between VHF high
band, UHF, and 800 MHz systems using one radio.

The level of participation will vary from local governments that build a
portion of the system down to a single user (subscriber radio). At a minimum,
agencies will be required to purchase their own mobile, portable, and console
equipment. All equipment is available for purchase or lease.

The new system provides statewide coverage and improved radio
spectrum resources, achieves interoperability with all state and local
agencies, and represents a statewide radio system using shared resources,
and offering added value for all users.

3.Sharing Public Safety Problems and Solutions

The Sharing Public Safety Problems and Solutions session is a new
component of the PSWN symposium. It is an open discussion on public
safety issues. Symposium participants have the opportunity to address
questions regarding interoperability issues to subject matter experts and the
PSWN Program managers. The information in this section is submitted in
question-and-response format. Some questions were used to prompt
discussion and may not have a response.

Question and Response Session

Obtaining funding is the critical first step in making statewide systems a
reality. Acquiring the substantial funding needed to plan, build, and maintain a
public safety communications system may be one of the greatest challenges
for public safety agencies. In fact, this process often takes more than 10 years
to complete. Another problem is that agencies do not typically consider
life-cycle cost issues when planning a system; therefore, they encounter
unanticipated costs during the system's life. As states have proceeded
through this process, several common keys to success have emerged. During
the symposium, officials who have funded statewide systems shared some of
these keys to success with the audience. These included-

Question:
What promise do you see in audio switches?

Response:

There is a promise that audio switches will handle the
needs of public safety. Also promising is the black
box. The nature of software-defined radios is to allow
the user to switch from one radio type to another.
How this is accomplished needs to be addressed by
the vendors. IP switching is OK, but…you really have
to sample the protocol and squelch….identify the talk
group. The audio switch is a valuable tool, but you
need to talk to all the potential participating agencies
regarding how they use their systems. This issue is
really 60 percent understanding the needs of the user,
and 40 percent technical (how to make use of the
technology.) The promise is there and the technology
is advancing.

Question:

With all the different agencies tracking the
[interoperability issues identified at the World Trade
Centers and the Pentagon crashes], what entity or
agency is reporting back to the states about
homeland defense?

Response:

The PSWN Program has reached out to Governor
Ridge to let him know what we have been learning
over the last five years. We have heard nothing back.
Anything that results in legislation following
September 11 should view every communication
system through a filter of interoperability. Policy
makers should look at new policies and ask
themselves how their actions and decisions affect
interoperability. The PSWN Program is looking at the
Pentagon results and will disseminate lessons
learned through the Web site.

Comment from

Audience:

The PSWN Program should plug the Homeland
Defense Office to share information on what the
states are doing because the states have something
to share.

Comment from
Audience:

We are the PSWN Program. Everybody in this room
has as much influence on a local or county level,
wherever your position is. We as a group can act as a
group. Re: the audio switch-as a satellite network, we
need to tie to a lot of other networks. We find audio
switching is an inexpensive way….Audio level is the
KISS principle, (keep it simple, stupid) and it works. It
is a simple way to join together two different systems
for interoperability.

Comment from
Audience:

I liked the State Interoperability Executive Committee
(SIEC) guidebook. Especially the discussion about
700 MHz and the SIEC concept at a national level,
relationships between the PSWN Program community
and SIECs, mini-state-level public safety community
organizations…etc.

Response:

The public safety community said it was not sure the
regional planning committees (RPC) were the right
place to address the 700 MHz issue-it needed to be
separated from 800 MHz. The public safety
community said the RPCs might not be able to
address and license 700 MHz, so the SIECs were
created to manage that issue.

Response:

The SIEC is not just for 700 MHz. It is an opportunity
to take on the entire interoperability issue as a
statewide issue…this is quite intriguing…how will this
relate to the new five channels-one VHF, four UHF?

Question:

Why is it difficult to get manufacturers interested in
VHF systems? The public safety community and
vendors cannot figure out this issue.

Questions:

The vendors must understand that public safety, as a
whole, is a large market. Should all federal, state, and
locals [public safety agencies] be mandated to buy off
one particular contract? This would certainly provide
leverage. You as the community have to decide
whether you need to initiate this effort and move
forward. How do we leverage the broad buying power,
rather than just one or two individual agencies?

Question:

SIEC came out of the Federal Communication
Commission (FCC) to regulate the 700 MHz band.
How are you going to use the designated
interoperability channels? Even though the SIEC
came out of 700 MHz, clearly, if the states go to the
effort of creating these groups in the public safety
community, it would behoove them to look at how
they will spend the time developing use of these new
channels. Also, when are we going to hear about the
report from World Trade Centers and Pentagon?

Response:

November 16 is the next NCC meeting in New York,
and there will be reports on the issues of September
11 and interoperability response.

Question:

What are we doing about high-speed data as it relates
to frequency? If you look at the requirements of
amplifiers, can we go to in building?

Question:

How many of you in the public safety community
follow filings with the FCC? How many of you have
filed comments? We [PSWN Program] are just one
voice, the only way to let the FCC know how you feel
is to tell them. You need to pay attention to the
proceedings and the filings. This is the only way that
the FCC hears that voice. A major part of the FCC
staff is lawyers. It is up to you, the user community,
to make them aware.

Question:

In reference to standards and technology, some of the
questions posed were, "Is there any single standard
that public safety community wants? Should the
Federal Government develop standards from
recommendations from public safety? Is that the easy
way out? Should the Federal Government still be
dictating standards to you?"

Question:

Should the Federal Government dictate standards?
Yes, but should they listen to the public safety
community before mandating standards?

Comment from
Audience:

One of the observations in New York (NY) following
September 11 was that we had a loss of major
infrastructure, not necessarily a lack of infrastructure.
Those relying on wireline also lost communications
because the telephone connectivity was lost.
Treasury was able to quickly share resources. The
beauty of the public safety community is that it
manages communication and trust. Unfortunately, to
defeat a terrorist, you need, in some ways, to be one.
When I saw the antennas coming down from the
World Trade Centers, I realized that in spite of
partnership within the public safety community, when
you are highly integrated, you could lose the battle.
The Javits Center-the state communications
center-was OK. However, take telecommunications,
which was hampered, out of the picture, and all you
have left is RF.

Comment from
Audience:

We must learn to think like the saboteur. An efficient
system is one that has no redundancy; we need
redundancy in our system. We need to think like a
terrorist. We need to build in a soft failure so that if
the system gets smashed, we can keep going.

Comment from
Audience:

[I] favor interoperability, not necessarily Project 25
(P25). Audio-switched gateways have a place. There
is no need to have an ubiquitous system. We have an
opportunity to demand that land mobile radio
manufacturers produce radios that interoperate. Any
engineer can take two disparate systems and figure
out a way to make them work. This takes time, and
we don't know where the next event is going to
happen. We must have a nationwide platform for
interoperability for public safety community personnel.
P25 is the only standard and was finally recognized.
FCC said it was a digital band. Some manufacturers
held out for analog mode, but this does not meet
security needs (encryption). We are putting in
encrypted radios. However, we must continue to focus
on a goal of nationwide interoperability where public
safety community people can go anywhere, at
anytime, and be able to come together and not get
slowed down by talk of "we can do this or that." We
do not have time to do that when we are reacting in an
emergency.

Comment from
Audience:

Hooking together systems can be an operational
nightmare. You cannot have operational delays. We
should use 700 MHz spectrum as a platform for
nationwide interoperability. There is no need to put up
with delays for audio switching.

Question:
Are redundancy and interoperability compatible?

4.States Are the Linchpins for Achieving Wireless Interoperability
Throughout the Nation

Statewide infrastructures are quickly becoming the most efficient,
cost-effective way to improve interoperability around the country. Planning
statewide systems, however, is a difficult task. Many states around the
country have implemented, or are implementing, shared, statewide systems.
During the symposium, representatives from California, Nevada, North
Carolina, and South Carolina related their experiences with statewide systems
development. Several key themes, described in detail below, emerged during
the discussions in this topic area.

Obtaining Funding for Large, Statewide, Wireless Communications
Systems Is Possible

Obtaining funding is the critical first step in making statewide systems a
reality. Acquiring the substantial funding needed to plan, build, and maintain a
public safety communications system may be one of the greatest challenges
of public safety agencies. In fact, this process often takes more than 10 years
to complete. Another problem is that agencies do not typically consider
life-cycle cost issues when planning a system; therefore, they encounter
unanticipated costs during the system's life. As states have proceeded
through this process, several common keys to success have emerged. During
the symposium, officials who have funded statewide systems shared some of
these keys to success with the audience. These included-

Agencies must develop a core funding team. Ideally, this team would
include representatives from the fields of law, finance, and accounting.
Officials planning statewide systems should enlist consultants to help
them develop business plans and validate the large dollar amounts
needed for system development. Business plans must describe, in
detail, what efficiencies will be gained and what services can be
improved by using the new system. Consultants can also help to sell
the business plan at county meetings and board meetings.
Agencies often have a misconception that buying a radio system is a
one-time purchase. As a result, they fail to realize that costs do not
end when construction does. Agencies should be aware that they need
to cost these systems for their entire life cycles. It was also noted that
investing in upgrades is becoming an easier sell because people realize
technology becomes obsolete quickly.

Federal and state grants are another mechanism states can use to fund
interoperable systems. One such grant, administered by the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), helps county and
local governments to set up demonstration projects. In addition, NTIA provides
matching funds for states to help them maintain their systems. This funding
source also raises the level of awareness at the state and local levels that the
Federal Government is interested in advancing technology in the public safety
sector.

http://www.pswn.gov/admin/librarydocs10/comp_report_for_lv.htm

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