Communication among public safety agencies like talking into a brick

Public safety agencies lack the ability to communicate with each other and with callers to the emergency 911 system, experts said on Friday.

R. David Paulison, former administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said during the past 50 years the nation has created a communications system that makes interoperability between public safety agencies impossible. Paulison was member of a panel discussing national preparedness at the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton in McLean, Va.

In the past, parts of the communications spectrum have been given to public safety agencies piecemeal. As a result, during an emergency such as a natural disaster or terrorist attack they have an almost zero chance to communicate, he said.

"They as might as well have brought a brick with them," said Paulison, who founded the Public Safety Alliance. During the recovery effort after the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, he said he used handwritten notes to communicate with first responders from other agencies working on the other side of the rubble.

In addition, the nation's emergency telephone system is inadequate, said Brian Fontes, chief executive of the National Emergency Number Association, which studies 911 policy, technology, operations and education issues. The network relies solely on voice, "the dinosaur of communication," he said. "911 is the forgotten stepchild to the emergency world. When you dial 911, you are hitting a brick wall. It's as if you are running through molasses."

Paulison and Fontes said emergency responders have an urgent need for broadband, which would allow them to communicate and use advanced technology. For example, 911 operators and first responders using broadband could receive live video of injured persons at a disaster scene, which would result in better medical assistance.

Fontes provided another example from a drill he attended in Baltimore. The simulation involved a truck carrying hazardous waste that flipped on a highway in New Carrolton, Md. From a command center that was outfitted with broadband, 911 operators and first responders were able to view multiple pictures of the incident while monitoring weather conditions.

To incorporate broadband systems, agencies need more spectrum, Paulison said. As part of the digital television conversion, the Federal Communications Commission provided 10 megahertz of sought-after spectrum for broadband use and 14 MHz for voice to public safety agencies.

Spectrum within the 10 MHz space, known as D-Block, is open next to the current public safety broadband designated space. Based on a congressional mandate and part of the National Broadband Plan, FCC has recommended the open 10 MHz be auctioned off. A previous attempt to auction the block was unsuccessful after the $1.3 billion minimum price was not met.

An auction would make the spectrum affordable, said Robert Kenny, an FCC spokesman. Under the plan, a private company would build out the block, which could be used by public safety for backup and roaming, Kenny added.

In a letter dated Thursday and sent to House and Senate leaders, Govs. Martin O'Malley, D-Md., and Jan Brewer, R-Ariz., urged Congress to pass a bill that would reallocate the D-Block to public safety officials, CongressDaily reported. The bill also would direct FCC to establish standards that allow public safety officials, when not using the network, to lease capacity on a secondary but preemptible basis to commercial users or others.

FCC's primary goal is to make sure the network is built, and it is ready to work with public safety, Kenny said.

Paulison argued the spectrum should not be auctioned and should be designated solely for public safety. "That's where we're going to be in the next 15 years," he said. "We need to have it."

It is important agencies have the 10 MHz now because once it's auctioned, it will be gone forever, according to Paulison. He said he is cautiously optimistic the D-Block will be assigned to the public safety community.