[MilCom] Responders' lack of spectrum 'cost lives'

[Bill "Superspy" Boltinghouse]

Is it me or does it seem like nobody reads or understands what the NTIA
Redbook states?

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/redbook/redbook.html

Chapter 4C lays out what is called the LE & IR VHF/UHF plans

4.3.16 Plans for Interagency Law Enforcement and Incident Response
Operations in the Bands 162-174 MHz and 406.1-420 MHz
CONDITIONS FOR USE
1. The frequencies shown in this plan are available for assignment to all
Government agencies to satisfy intermittent law enforcement and public
safety incident response requirements. Non-Govern-ment agencies may use
these frequencies only in cooperation with agencies of the Federal
Government. Federal agencies will provide written certification to
non-Government agencies indicating that the non-Government operation is
necessary. Non-Government entities will be advised in the written
certification that under Federal law they are required to obtain a license
from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for such operations, and
that the FCC File Number for the license, once obtained, will be provided to
the Government agency providing the written certification. A copy of this
certification will also be submitted to the NTIA Public Safety Program
Office. Federal agencies shall comply with the requirements of Section
2.3.12 of this Manual. The frequencies are available on a shared basis and
will not be authorized for the exclusive use of any one agency.
2. All Government operations shall be authorized in accordance with Chapter
9 of this Manual. The FCC will submit all non-Government applications to the
Frequency Assignment Subcommittee (FAS) for approval.
3. Base stations are authorized use of the mobile transmit frequencies for
access to fixed stations, e.g., repeaters. Mobile stations are permitted to
use fixed station transmit frequencies for talk-around communications.
4. The following restrictions apply:
(a) the minimum ERP necessary to support the intended use shall be employed;
(b) the maximum base or mobile transmitter output power shall not exceed 125
Watts; and
(c) the gain of the base station antenna shall not exceed 6 dBi.
5. Exceptions to the above restrictions will be considered by the FAS on a
case-by-case basis.
LAW ENFORCEMENT PLANS
1. Frequencies 167.0875 MHz and 414.0375 MHz are designated as National
Calling Channels for initial contact and will be identified in the radio as
indicated in paragraph 2 below. Initial contact com-munications will be
established using analog FM emission (11KF3E). The agency in control of the
incident will assign specific operational channels as required for incident
support operations.
2. The interoperability frequencies will be identified in mobile and
portable radios as follows with Continuous Tone-Controlled Squelch Systems
(CTCSS) frequency 167.9 Hz and/or Network Access Code (NAC) $68F:

[LE Table of frequencies]

All applications using these allotted frequencies shall be affixed with
Record Note S397. This assignment is for a joint law enforcement requirement
pursuant to Section 4.3.16 of this Manual.
INCIDENT RESPONSE PLANS
1. Frequencies 169.5375 MHz, paired with 164.7125 MHz, and 410.2375 MHz,
paired with 419.2375 MHz, are designated as the calling channels for initial
contact and will be identified in the radio as indicated in paragraph 2.
Initial contact will be established using analog FM emission (11KF3E). CTCSS
will not be used on the calling channels to ensure access by stations from
outside the normal area of operation. The agency in control of the incident
will assign specific operational channels as required for incident support
operations.
2. The Interoperability frequencies will be identified in mobile and
portable radios as follows:

[IR Table of Frequencies]

3. All applications using these allotted frequencies shall be affixed with
Record Note S398. This assignment is for a joint incident response
requirement pursuant to Section 4.3.16 of this Manual.

The NAOC is also a FEMA asset http://www.fema.gov/rrr/naoc_wh.shtm

There is no "lack of spectrum"!

The Governor did not implement the EOP even at the insistence of POTUS and
DHS/FEMA!

The National Guard and Coast Guard have lots of frequencies available and
Military Comm NCOs operate very effective NETS.

As soon as the US Military assets entered the fray, things improved
drastically!

Ground and Air assets would have had access to UHF MILSATS immediately.

The Louisiana EOP called for activation of their EOCs the moment Katrina
entered the Gulf of Mexico.

Like I said, there is no "lack of spectrum"; it is a lack of people who know
how to coordinate the use of the spectrum and manage the necessary types of
communications.

Trunking is not a good way of doing emergency comms due to lack of
understanding without training. The clarity of use is necessary without
conflicts.

DHS/FEMA can bring the radio equipment into the scene including portable
repeaters as needed.
Crankup or easily erected towers can be setup quickly and comm vans can be
used with their portable generators to avoid use of local power which might
not be available.

The Louisiana EOP had assigned shelters outside of the possible flood areas
which were supposed to be manned by ARC and Salvation Army. With enough lead
time, DHS/FEMA can also be in place outside the disaster zone and be ready
to enter ASAP.

I personally do not believe that most local governments or even most state
governments can handle more than preparing for a disaster with the
assistance of DHS/FEMA.

http://www.fema.gov/library/stafact.shtm

Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended
by Public Law 106-390, October 30, 2000

UNITED STATES CODE
Title 42. THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
CHAPTER 68. DISASTER RELIEF

[As amended by Pub. L. 103-181, Pub. L. 103-337, and Pub. L. 106-390]
(Pub. L. 106-390, October 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1552 - 1575)

Something that most people do not think about (which we as Milcom hobbiests
know intimately) is Commando Solo which can broadcast on the AM BX Band, FM
BX Band and TV BX Band. Relief centers and individuals should be encouraged
to maintain appropriate radios and TV which can be used to receive emergency
BXs.

I believe that the Commando Solo would even have the capability to BX on the
WX Radio Freqs as well.

Educating Mayors, Governors and other officals should be a primary effort!
The general public should be given a fundamental knowledge of emergency
situations.

For those of you as old as I am (57 today), you will remember the days of
CONELRAD and the Cuban Missle Crisis and even the Cold War when every child
was told about "duck & cover" and many other things.

"Lack of spectrum" is just an excuse for the head being implanted up the
butt!

Well, there is my 2 cents for now!

Bill Boltinghouse
208 South 1st Street Apt 4A
Council Bluffs, Iowa 51503


-----Original Message-----
From: milcom-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:milcom-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of MJ Cleary
Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2005 1:21 PM
To: MILCOM; scansc at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [MilCom] Responders' lack of spectrum 'cost lives'


Responders' lack of spectrum 'cost lives'

By Shaun Waterman, UPI Homeland and National Security Editor
    Former Sept. 11 commission Chairman Tom Kean says first responders in
Louisiana not having had access to radio spectrum needed for inter-operable
communications "cost lives," as it did at the World Trade Center.
    "On the ground, the people that get there first can't talk to each other
because the radio communications don't work," Kean told CNN Sunday. "They
haven't got enough of what's called spectrum."
    News media last week reported that police forces in New Orleans and the
three surrounding parishes all use different and incompatible radio
equipment.
    Experts say that proper equipment and training and freeing up more and
better frequenciesholy grail of full communications inter-operability for
first responders.
    Kean said a bill in Congress to provide more spectrum was stalled.
"Nothing has been happening, and again, people on the ground -- police,
fire, medical personnel -- couldn't talk to each other. That's outrageous
and it's a scandal and I think it cost lives," he concluded.
    At issue are the recommendations of a 1995 congressional panel that, as
TV broadcasters transitioned to digital transmission -- which takes up a
much smaller fraction of the spectrum -- the frequencies freed up would be
allocated to first responders.
    Now, a bi-partisan group of lawmakers is making a new push for the
legislation.
    "We have not kept the promise we made 10 years ago," said Rep. Jane
Harman, D-Calif., calling the situation "a black eye" and "an embarrassment"
for lawmakers.
    She and Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Penn., have written to Speaker of the House
Rep. Denny Hastert, R-Ill., to ask for a suspension of the normal rules of
debate so that a bill to enforce a deadline for handing the relevant
frequencies to first responders can be passed this week.
    In the Senate, a similar measure, sponsored by John McCain, R-Ariz., and
Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., is currently before the Commerce, Science and
Transportation Committee.
    Spokesman Amy Call said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R.-Tenn, was
working with Commerce Committee Chairman Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, to try
and get that bill to the floor soon, too. "The Leader saw first hand on the
ground the challenges, and is working
with several members about further fixes in this area," Call told United
Press International at the weekend.
    The parts of the spectrum identified by the 1995 Public Safety Wireless
Advisory Committee report are in the high 700-Mhz range -- which experts say
is ideal for use by emergency services because signals sent over these
frequencies can penetrate walls and travel long distances.
    "This (part of the spectrum) is prime real estate," said Yucel Ors of
the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, a non-profit that
represents first responder and emergency management communications
specialists. But, he added, "There are squatters on it," referring to the TV
broadcasters.
    The law passed in response to the 1995 report set a Jan. 1, 2007, target
date for broadcasters to free up that part of the spectrum.
    "But there's a huge get out for them," a congressional staffer who has
worked on the issue told United Press International.
    Broadcasters are not required to relinquish their spectrum allocation
until 85 percent of
households in their market have the equipment needed to receive digital
signals.
    The staffer said that this creates "a chicken and egg" problem --
without a firm date for the transition from analog, there is no incentive
for viewers or broadcasters to upgrade to digital equipment, and penetration
remains well below the 85 percent baseline in most major
markets.
    Broadcasters and their supporters say that imposing a deadline would
penalize those viewers who cannot afford new equipment, and that households
replace electronic goods like TV sets every few years, arguing this should
lead eventually to major markets crossing the 85 percent threshold.
    But Michael Powell, then-chairman of the Federal Communications
Commission, testified last year to the Senate commerce committee that the 85
percent penetration test could result in transition being delayed for
"decades or multiple decades."
    "It is time to tell the broadcasters to get out of the way," said
Weldon, blaming "the lethargy of Congress -- both parties and both chambers"
for the failure to move on this issue before.
    Ors said that broadcasters had also lobbied hard against a deadline.
"They have more resources than we do," he said, "First responders are busy
on the front lines, we don't have as much time as they do to lobby
Congress."
    Experts are keen to stress that spectrum is just one of the pieces in
the inter-operability jigsaw.
    "Even if the deadline is imposed," said the congressional staffer, "this
is going to take some time."
    The other pieces of the puzzle include equipment and training, but as
Ors points out, even in these areas, delays in freeing up the spectrum
become a problem.
    "Until there's a firm date (for the transition) public safety agencies
can't make the investments in the equipment they need" to make use of the
new frequencies, he told UPI, adding that manufacturers were also loath to
spend money developing and marketing equipment which could remain
effectively unusable until some yet-to-be-determined date in the future.
    But the trickiest piece of all, according to the congressional staffer,
is what he called "the human element," and Ors refers to as planning.
    "Without clear planning (by neighboring jurisdictions), without proper
staffing and training, you can have all the spectrum and equipment you need
and it won't get you there," said Ors.
    "There are cultural problems between fire departments and police forces
and (emergency medical services)," said the congressional staffer. And in
huge disasters like Hurricane Katrina has caused, a lack of
inter-operability can be the least of first responder worries.
    Kenneth Moran, acting director of the homeland security office in the
Federal Communications Commission, told a House Energy and Commerce
Committee hearing Wednesday that inter-operability had been only one among
many problems in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina -- which blew down
transmission towers and cut power in huge swathes of the Gulf coast.
    "We did see inter-operability problems," he said, "But the biggest
problems we saw initially were things that were needed to get the (cellular
and broadcast) networks up and that tended to be security issues, staging of
personnel to get them in there and also trying to
get fuel (for generators) into the areas until the power would come up."
    But responders say that -- in a situation of prolonged crisis like the
one in Louisiana -- the time before and after the towers go down and the
power goes off is as important as any other.
    "Good, strong communications help you prepare better and recover
faster," said Harlin McEwen, a retired FBI official and the chairman of the
communications and technology committee of the International Association of
Chiefs of Police.
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