Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Critical Requirements for Public Safety Communications: A First Look (dated)

From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 04 Aug 2003 07:18:37 -0400

Critical Requirements for Public Safety Communications:
A First Look
A Briefing Paper
By
www.telecommunityalliance.org
October 2001

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

ublic Safety is a core function for local governments. Adequate wireless
communications are essential to executing the Public Safety function promptly,
effectively, and costefficiently.  Today local governments face two major problems
in public safety wireless communications.  First, across the country, there is a
general lack of interoperability between radio systems, between agencies, and
between jurisdictions. Second, the Federal Communications Commission has allowed
commercial wireless providers to interfere with essential public safety radio
communications. This frequency interference causes significant geographic “dead
spots” where public safety radios don’t work.

Both problems can be solved. The solutions require spectrum reallocation by the
Federal Communications Commission and federal funding to assist local governments
as they buy muchneeded new equipment and rearrange existing equipment.
The problems are not new. September 11th has brought them into sharp focus. Local
officials have spoken for years about the basic problems of lack of interoperable
equipment, lack of adequate interoperable frequencies, and unnecessary
interference with public safety radio transmissions. Federal, state and local law
enforcement, fire and public health agents must be able to communicate reliably
with each other in the field.

The good news is that these problems can be solved. This TeleCommUnity Alliance
white paper identifies the problems and proposes specific solutions. TeleCommUnity
encourages comments and suggestions on this document and the issues it confronts.

P ublic safety services require effective coordination and communication among
many agencies. A high-profile incident — such as a bombing, plane crash or natural
disaster —tests the ability of local government public safety service
organizations to mount a well coordinated response. The events of September 11,
2001, and local emergency response to the terrorist attacks in New York City and
Washington demonstrated that communication is a primary tool for those who protect
life and property. Lower-profile, but no less life-threatening incidents – such as
fires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, major traffic accidents, and pursuit of
armed criminals – also require coordinated local government public safety
response.  In the interest of maintaining our national emergency response systems,
it is no longer practical for individual public safety agencies to build
communications systems that do not communicate with each other. To be effective
before, during and after an emergency response, public safety officials at all
levels of government must be able to communicate with each other. As multiple
agencies in multiple jurisdictions respond to crises, interoperability — the
ability of agencies from different jurisdictions to communicate (e.g., police
units with fire departments, and city agencies of one state with counties agencies
of a neighboring state) — is essential. Public safety agencies can no longer
tolerate “dead zones” caused by private commercial radio spectrum use – areas
where public safety frequencies cannot operate due to interference.

Congress and the Federal Communications Commission can solve the problems of
inoperability and interference by taking steps to ensure that local public safety
agencies have adequate funding to achieve interoperability and have access to
additional spectrum to alleviate serious interference problems.

I. Problem: Challenges to Effective Public Safety Communications

Currently, federal, state and local public safety entities compete for limited
radio spectrum. Public safety agencies have limited budgets and face challenges in
keeping pace with advances in technology.  Moreover, public safety officials in
the same community are often forced to operate on separate public safety
frequencies because of federal spectrum allocation policies.

A. Compatibility of Systems (Interoperability)

It has become apparent in recent years that the design of local public safety
communications systems must permit units from different agencies to communicate
with one another and to exchange vital information. Interoperability suffers when
public safety units using different systems — even those using the same frequency
— cannot communicate because of different radio transmission or signaling
techniques, such as analog versus digital or proprietary systems provided by
different manufacturers.
Earlier this year, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) released results of a
study — State and Local Law Enforcement Wireless Communications and
Interoperability: A Quantitative Analysis — in which it surveyed more than 1,500
law enforcement agencies of all sizes and types. It identified funding and
spectrum allocation by the FCC as the two biggest obstacles to interoperability.
Fragmented spectrum and insufficient funding were identified as serious
interoperability obstacles, and problems with channel congestion and outdated
equipment were also mentioned.

Agencies with limited funding were significantly more likely to experience
problems with dead spots, outdated equipment, insufficient equipment, frequency
interference and channel congestion.  The study also reveals trends related to the
shift from analog to digital systems, high VHF to 800 MHz, and increasing use of
spectrum for data transmissions related to the use of mobile data terminals and
laptop computers. Even routine events remain a challenge for most agencies. The
inability to adopt interoperability standards is linked to funding.  ??The Public
Safety Wireless Advisory Committee (PSWAC) recommended the use of commercial
services for non-mission critical communications. However, agency controlled and
operated wireless communications systems remain an integral part of both inter-
and intra-agency emergency communications:

The ability of public safety agencies to communicate is vital to the safety and
welfare of the citizens they represent. Whether a vehicle accident, crime, plane
crash, special event or any other public safety activity, one of the major
components of responding to and mitigating a disaster is wireless communications.
These wireless communications systems are critical to public safety agencies’
ability to protect lives and property and the welfare of public safety officials.
To improve interoperability, Congress included language in the Balanced Budget Act
of 1997 that would free up additional space on the radio spectrum for law
enforcement use. The language requires that by the year 2006, 24 MHz of the
spectrum currently partially occupied by broadcast televisionchannels 60 through
69 be transferred to exclusive public safety use. The NIJ survey found,
however, that more than half of the agencies surveyed did not have sufficient
funds to make use of the spectrum specified by Congress.

B. Interference

In an era when technology can bring news, current events and entertainment to the
farthest reaches of the world, many police officers, firefighters and emergency
medical service personnel working in the same city still cannot communicate with
each other.

In the 800 MHz band, there is a very real problem with “dead zones” — areas where
pubic safety radio communication is impossible because of interference caused by
commercial mobile radio service (CMRS). The FCC was careless when it decided to
place these diametrically differing types of deployments – commercial and public
safety – in close frequency proximity and left it to the parties “to work out”
emissions interference. Public safely radio dead zones must be eliminated –
America cannot tolerate police officers and firefighter not being able to
communicate while involved in life-threatening situations.
Revenue-generating (CMRS) systems have control over blocks of frequencies; they
can control their own interference environment. When they have interference, they
can modify their deployment configuration slightly to eliminate it. As they add
capacity to serve additional users, they create new interference scenarios but
again have control over the solution. In cellular-type deployment, which services
the general population in a one-to-one basis (interconnect), it is economically
sound to add sites, as they will increase system capacity and, thereby, allow
additional users.  However, public safety communications systems do not have the
same ability to reduce interference.  A public safety system provides service to a
specific population of users distributed over a large service area. It is
uneconomical to subdivide the service area or to use additional sites or use
additional frequencies to address interference counsel by adjacent commercial
users. Local government public safety agencies cannot outbid CMRS operators to buy
additional spectrum to prevent interference. And public safety concerns cannot
afford to constantly refit their systems to overcome CMRS-created interference.

Congested and fragmented spectral resources are contributing to a critical
situation which, if not addressed expeditiously, will compromise the ability of
public safety officials to protect life and property. Effective, efficient
wireless communications ultimately depend upon radio frequency availability and/or
compatibility.

II. Solutions: Addressing Public Safety Communications Problems

As stated previously, providing public safety agencies with more spectrum or more
money — or both — can help to solve both system incompatibility and spectrum
interference problems.

A. Radio Spectrum

In its final report, the PSWAC concluded that “unless immediate measures are taken
to alleviate spectrum shortfalls and promote interoperability, public safety
agencies will not be able to adequately discharge their obligation to protect life
and property in a safe, efficient and cost effective manner.”

PSWAC has asked the FCC to allocate additional spectrum for the exclusive use of
public safety agencies. The radio frequencies currently set aside for public
safety use are primarily in four areas of the spectrum and range from low band VHF
(25-50 MHz) to 800 MHz (806-869 MHz). As a result, no universally available or
affordable radio can handle all possible combinations.  In addition, many mutual
aid channels have been set up on a regional or statewide basis. There are two
nationwide interoperability channels: the National Law Enforcement Emergency
Channel at 155.475 MHz in high band VHF and the Interagency Tactical Channels 13
at 866-868 MHz in the 800 MHz range.

Research conducted for the PSWAC’s Operational Subcommittee concluded that one of
the top priorities for public safety communications is the need to operate across
frequency bands (e.g., from VHF to 800 MHz). Communications across bands is
possible through “patching,” but the process has serious limitations and
complications. PSWAC has determined that more than 100 MHz of spectrum is needed
for public safety, yet public safety agencies currently have only 30 MHz of
spectrum. It would be in the public interest to increase the number of nationwide
interoperability channels. To accomplish this, however, there is a need for
greater allocation of radio spectrum dedicated to public safety use. Congress has
authorized the FCC to reassign spectrum between UHF television channels 60 through
69 in the 700 MHz range for public safety use. This spectrum was to be available
for licensing in the year 2000. However, at the urging of broadcasters, Congress
included a provision in the legislation that may delay indefinitely, the
availability of that spectrum in some regions. Some broadcasters may never
relinquish the frequencies if the penetration of digital television service
remains below specified levels in individual markets.

To date, the FCC has allocated 24 MHz of spectrum in the 746-806 MHz range for
public safety
use. An additional 73.5 MHz is needed now to meet interoperability and capacity
needs.

B. Adequate Funding

According to the study conducted by the National Institute of Justice, limitations
in funding already affect interoperability for 69 percent of all agencies
surveyed. Wireless communications systems are becoming more complex and costly at
a time when revenues are shrinking. Currently, only densely populated metropolitan
areas are implementing new systems.
The TeleCommUnity Alliance believes local communities should receive a portion of
the federal
revenues from wireless spectrum auctions to enhance interoperability and address
interference through the spectrum relocation of local public safety communications
systems.

The federal government has decided to auction the 800 MHz spectrum for commercial
uses. This has created interference problems within the portion of the 800 MHz
spectrum previously used for local public safety communications. Not only has the
FCC not remedied interference in the 800 MHz spectrum, but federal authorities
also are proposing a new auction in the 700 MHz spectrum.  Unless the mixed public
safety and commercial sues are adequately separated, the 800 MHz interference
problems may be replicated.

Some localities can overcome interference issues by spectrum swaps between
commercial and public safety users. Other localities, alter their tower and/or
antenna heights. In many areas, interference will be resolved only if public
safety officials purchase entirely new systems and equipment. This is an onerous
financial burden that local governments should not have to shoulder alone.
Compared to the billions generated by a federal spectrum auction, the aggregate
cost of new equipment to enable public safety interoperabilitye should be minimal.
The federal government should allocate an appropriate share of the spectrum
auction money to address local government efforts to protect the health, welfare,
and public safety of their citizens.

http://www.telecommunityalliance.org/images/TCUbriefingpaper2001.pdf

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