Subject: [NEXTEL-1] HOMELAND SECURITY Federal Leadership and Intergovernmental Cooperation Required to Achieve First Responder Interoperable Communications

From: NEXTEL-1
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2004 19:43:11 -0400

www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-740.
To view the full product, including the scope
and methodology, click on the link above.
For more information, contact William Jenkins
at (202) 512-8777 or [email-masked].
Highlights of GAO-04-740, a report to
congressional requesters

July 2004
HOMELAND SECURITY Federal Leadership and
Intergovernmental Cooperation Required
to Achieve First Responder Interoperable Communications

In a November 6, 2003, testimony, GAO said that no one group or level of
government could “fix” the nation’s interoperable communications
problems. Success would require effective, collaborative,
interdisciplinary, and intergovernmental planning.
The present extent and scope nationwide of public safety wireless
communication systems’ ability to talk among themselves as necessary and
authorized has not been determined. Data on current conditions compared
to needs are necessary to develop plans for improvement and measure
progress over time. However, the nationwide data needed to do this are
not currently available. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
intends to obtain this information by the year 2005 by means of a
nationwide survey.  However, at the time of our review, DHS had not yet
developed its detailed plans for conducting this survey and reporting
its results.  The federal government can take a leadership role in
support of efforts to improve interoperability by developing national
requirements and a national architecture, developing nationwide
databases, and providing technical and financial support for state and
local efforts to improve interoperability. In 2001, the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) established the federal government’s
Wireless Public Safety Interoperable Communications Program, SAFECOM, to
unify efforts to achieve national wireless communications
interoperability. However, SAFECOM’s authority and ability to oversee
and coordinate federal and state efforts has been limited by its
dependence upon other agencies for funding and their willingness to
cooperate. OMB is currently examining alternative methods to implement
SAFECOM’s mission. In addition, DHS, where SAFECOM now resides, has
recently announced it is establishing an Office for Interoperability and
Compatibility to coordinate the federal response to the problems of
interoperability in several functions, including wireless
communications.  The exact structure and funding for this office, which
will include SAFECOM, are still being developed.

State and local governments can play a large role in developing and
implementing plans to improve public safety agencies’ interoperable
communications. State and local governments own most of the physical
infrastructure of public safety communications systems, and states play
a central role in managing emergency communications. The Federal
Communications Commission recognized the central role of states in
concluding that states should manage the public safety interoperability
channels in the 700 MHz communications spectrum. States, with broad
input from local governments, are a logical choice to serve as a
foundation for interoperability planning because incidents of any level
of severity originate at the local level with states as the primary
source of support. However, states are not required to develop
interoperability plans, and there is no clear guidance on what should be
included in such plans.

Lives of first responders and those
whom they are trying to assist can
be lost when first responders
cannot communicate effectively as
needed. This report addresses
issues of determining the status of
interoperable wireless
communications across the nation,
and the potential roles that federal,
state, and local governments can
play in improving these
communications.
GAO recommends that the
Secretary of DHS (1) continue to
develop a nationwide database and
common terminology for public
safety interoperability
communications channels;
(2) assess interoperability in
specific locations against defined
requirements; (3) through federal
grant awards, encourage state
action to establish and support a
statewide body to develop and
implement detailed improvement
plans; and (4) encourage that grant
applications be in compliance with
statewide interoperability plans,
once they are developed. GAO also
recommends that the Director of
OMB work with DHS to review
SAFECOM’s functions and
establish a long-term program with
appropriate authority and funding
to coordinate interoperability
efforts across the federal
government.

DHS generally agreed with our first
two recommendations but did not
specifically address the other
recommendations to DHS. OMB
had no comments.
http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d04740high.pdf

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