The only way public-safety interoperability problems are going to be fixed is through federal law. And Congress should tackle it-this year. And our federal taxes should fund it-immediately. And the United States of America, the world’s only remaining superpower, should be done discussing an issue that has been dragging on since the 1990s, when the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International Inc. approved Project 25, a digital two-way radio standard designed to enable different first-responder networks to talk to each other.
Any public-private partnership that would share spectrum, whether it’s Cyren Call’s proposal or someone else’s, is really just a band-aid. If Sen. John McCain wants to fix public-safety communications problems, he should introduce legislation that would force local and state governments, as well as special districts, to comply with a set of federal requirements on communications equipment.
The nation’s first responders already own some spectrum and another 24 megahertz is set to become available with the transition to digital TV. Technology already exists that enables radios to talk to one another. Indeed, one of the main obstacles to interoperability between districts is that there are so many districts-each with their own budgets, existing equipment and special needs. Asking thousands of local, county, state and fire and ambulance districts to voluntarily subscribe to a program only continues to prolong the problem.
That’s why a federal mandate is needed-along with a deadline, proper funding to allow first responders to comply with the law, and fines for districts that are not in compliance. There are risks with this strategy-the best technology may not be chosen, the money may not be spent in the best way, it may not take into account better technologies on the horizon and it takes away a local government’s power to determine what is best for its constituents. But I think the benefits can outweigh the risks, if implemented correctly.
In his support for Cyren Call’s proposal, McCain said we needed to think big and bold. A public-private partnership has its own challenges and setbacks. Forcing thousands of districts into federal compliance-and giving them the funding to be able to do so-is even bigger and bolder.
