Improving Public Safety Communications

In a strangely unrelated effort, the federal government also has plans to invest $3 billion to $30 billion and a significant amount of spectrum in the Integrated Wireless Network (IWN) program, which is intended to provide communications services for a tiny fraction of first responders. In particula...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Issues in science and technology 2007, Vol.23 (2), p.61-68
Main Author: PEHA, JON M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Broadband transmission
Business growth
Business structures
Communication systems
Communications
Communications equipment
Communications networks
Customer services
Disasters
Domestic Security Revisited
Emergency communication systems - United States
Federal government
First responders
Government
Hurricanes
Industrial safety
Infrastructure
Interoperability
Local Government
Manufacturing
Networks
Opportunities
Police
Public safety
Public safety services - United States
Regional Planning
Telecommunications industry
Television
United States - Communications sector
Wireless networks
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Summary:In a strangely unrelated effort, the federal government also has plans to invest $3 billion to $30 billion and a significant amount of spectrum in the Integrated Wireless Network (IWN) program, which is intended to provide communications services for a tiny fraction of first responders. In particular, these polices are based on assumptions that local agencies should have maximal flexibility at the expense of standardization and regional planning, that commercial carriers have little role to play, that public safety should not share spectrum or infrastructure, and that narrowband voice applications should dominate. Policy reforms should include shifting some responsibility and authority for decisions about public safety communications infrastructure from many independent local government agencies to the federal government, expanding the role of commercial service providers, allowing public safety to share spectrum with others, and expanding capabilities beyond traditional voice communications.
ISSN:0748-5492
1938-1557