Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Legislators charge DHS with public-safety interoperability coordination

From: NEXTEL-1
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2004 18:02:05 -0400

Legislators charge DHS with public-safety interoperability coordination

by Heather Forsgren Weaver

July 21, 2004

WASHINGTON

The Department of Homeland Security needs to step up
and do a better job of coordinating public-safety interoperable
communications, said Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.),
chairman of the House Government Reform national security
subcommittee. 

“The Homeland Security Department is clearly responsible,”
said Shays. “I think DHS has to assert authority just like the
court did 50 years ago and then wait for someone to say they
don't have it.” 

Shays seemed quite disappointed at a hearing Tuesday when
a panel of government witnesses could not assure him that
the country would be further along in its goal of public-safety
interoperable communications in five years. “I don't want you
back here in five years saying the same thing,” he said. 

When John Muleta, chief of the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications
Bureau, said he was a “glass is half-full optimist” and that planning
for public-safety interoperable communications will be completed in
five years, Shays said that simply completing planning was not enough.
“It has to be more than planning in five years,” he said. “I don't think
the glass is half full. I think it is a quarter full.” 

The Government Accountability Office - formerly known as the
Government Accounting Office - released a report 
(See http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04740.pdf) at the hearing
that said that while the government has been working on the lack of
public-safety interoperability for 15 years, there is still nobaseline
data. 

“Reports have shown that when first responders cannot communicate
effectively as needed, it can literally cost lives of both emergency
responders and those they are trying to assist. Thus, effective
communications between and among wireless communications
systems used by federal, state and local public-safety agencies is
generally accepted as not only desirable but essential for the
protection
of life and property. Public-safety officials generally recognize that
effective ‘interoperable’ communications is the ability to talk with
whom
they want, when they want, when authorized, but not the ability to talk
with everyone all of the time,” said GAO. “The current status of
wireless
interoperable communications across the nation—including the current
interoperable communications capabilities of first responders and the
scope and severity of the problems that may exist—has not been
determined.” 

A second panel of witnesses focused on New York. Rep. Carolyn Maloney
(D-N.Y.), who had requested the panel, said the radios that failed Sept.
11,
2001, are still failing today. “The radios that didn't work on Sept. 11,
still do
not work today,” said Maloney. 

http://rcrnews.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=911

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