[Discuss-gnuradio] FCW: Wireless program takes to Web

[John Gilmore]

[Here's another article about the emergency comms interop problem.
 Note in the last paragraph that this 'federal initiative' seems to
 primarily exist to demand more spectrum for themselves.   --gnu]

http://www.fcw.com/geb/articles/2003/0303/web-wins-03-03-03.asp

  Wireless program takes to Web

BY Dibya Sarkar <mailto:address@hidden>
March 3, 2003

The Public Safety Wireless Network program, a federal initiative to 
promote and educate state and local public safety officials about 
communications interoperability, has unveiled an online version of its 
national strategy.

The interactive Web site — Public Safety WINS, for Wireless 
Interoperability National Strategy — is the latest adaptation of the 
program, which previously has been released on video and CD-ROM. It 
enables public safety officials to view policy and technical solutions 
and other resources related to managing interoperability challenges.

The site includes a section showing the "state of interoperability" for 
state and federal agencies that have public safety wireless missions. 
For states, it presents an interoperability index rating of each one's 
level of maturity in six areas: shared systems development, coordination 
and partnerships, funding, spectrum, standards and technology, and 
security. The section on federal agencies includes a description of 
their wireless programs and important contact information.

Within the past two years, the lack of communications interoperability 
among first responders has been elevated to a level never seen before. 
That's due largely to the communication problems encountered by New York 
City firefighters and police officers during their response to the Sept. 
11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center.

Since then, work on solving the problem has increased, but many public 
safety officials said that without substantial federal funding many 
statewide, regional and local initiatives to upgrade communications 
equipment will lose momentum.

Recently, an unprecedented coalition of national associations 
representing a wide array of state and local officials published an 
interoperability guide, and it also plans to lobby congressional 
officials for more funding.

The Public Safety Wireless Network is a joint initiative between the 
Treasury and Justice departments. It was started in 1996 after a 
federally appointed committee issued a report recommending that more 
spectrum channels be reallocated for public safety use.


RELATED LINKS

Public Safety WINS <http://www.publicsafetywins.gov>

Public Safety Wireless Network <http://www.pswn.gov/>

"Locals offer interoperability guide" 
<http://www.fcw.com/geb/articles/2003/0203/web-task-02-06-03.asp> 
[Government E-Business, Feb. 6, 2003]

"Too much at stake to wait" 
<http://www.fcw.com/supplements/homeland/2002/sup4/hom-strat-12-02-02.asp> 
[Federal Computer Week, Dec. 2, 2002]

"Fixing a communications breakdown" 
<http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/0722/cov-comm-07-22-02.asp> 
[Federal Computer Week, July 22, 2002]