The 9-11 Commission recommendations call for the allocation of more radio spectrum and improved connectivity for public safety communications. According to the Spectrum Coalition for Public Safety, this broadband wireless network would meet their goals, but the necessary spectrum must be allocated to support it. Congress must act now before the spectrum is gone, says the coalition.
"In the aftermath of September 11 we've worked tirelessly to identify and implement technology-based solutions to enhance public safety and keep our first responders out of harm's way. The inability of first responders to communicate with ease compounded the tragedy of 9-11," said Suzanne Peck, chief technology officer for the District of Columbia. "This network we're unveiling today addresses that problem head-on, but we need the spectrum to make it a national reality."
Members of the public safety community joined together on Capitol Hill yesterday to ask Congress to act quickly to provide a national public safety network that will allow first responders the greatest ability to communicate seamlessly in times of crisis.
"We launched an initiative aimed at delivering next-generation broadband wireless solutions to the nation's capital. Our regional network will provide a fully designed and tested broadband solution that jurisdictions around the nation can replicate if the necessary spectrum is provided. Broadband wireless solutions are bandwidth-intensive, and public safety agencies around the nation simply don't have enough dedicated spectrum to support the wireless tools they need," said Robert LeGrande, head of the Spectrum Coalition for Public Safety. "That is why getting the 10 MHz is so critical."
The full 10-site network, operating under an 18-month experimental license approved by the FCC, provides broadband wireless service throughout the District of Columbia. This solution leverages Flarion Technologies' FLASH OFDM network and Motorola's newly developed Greenhouse video dispatch application.
The Spectrum Coalition for Public Safety is a coalition of public officials and first responders.
