GovernmentExecutive.com

Return to Article: FEATURES Missed Signals

• 15851
  

  Your article helpfully analyzes the many interoperability problems that arose during Katrina. Having lived through and maintained communications during Katrina myself using email, Instant Messenger, secure messages and VOIP during Katrina, I can testify to the wisdom of utilizing Internet protocol as the backbone of emergency communications.

  Your article touches on the key issue of Internet priority service for first responders, but does not note that Internet priority service solutions exist. "And even assuming that connectivity does survive during an emergency ... commercial providers haven't been willing to guarantee first responders priority for their network traffic. 'You wind up having to compete with tens of thousands of other signals that are trying to get on that line in an emergency' ..."

  Although Internet Priority Service technologies are still in the early phases of deployment, Internet Priority Service (IPS) services and solutions are readily available and exist precisely to avoid the problem of emergency service providers competing with tens of thousands of other signals during an emergency. IPS technologies enhance network reliability and performance during periods of network stress and are foundational to the DoD's move to IP-centric communications. The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has aggressively explored Internet Priority Service (IPS) technologies for widespread deployment for several years now, and I understand that the DoD has implemented IPS solutions in a number of mission critical DoD communications applications. The Pegasus Program, which I lead as Project Executive, implemented more than two years ago an IPS messaging system which provides Internet Priority Service for communications between local law enforcement agencies in more than 30 states. DoD and Pegasus both use Circadence Corp.'s Transport Morphing Protocol and WARP technologies, and other IPS technologies may well emerge as the critical role of IP as the backbone of emergency communications.

  Dennis Kelly Posted April 3, 2006 2:51 PM
• 14688
  

  Emergency communications are in disarray. If you tried to use your computer wireless access in Detroit and it would not work because they had a different standard, but it did work in Chicago. You would be very frustrated. Fortunately we have a standard for wireless communications. It does not require massive frequency bandwidth; the spectrum usage is very small. Many computer users throughout the nation have access to the Internet because of the standard.

  Numerous communities purchase emergency communication based on how persuasive the sales people are. There are standards for this equipment also; but those making the selection are not often educated enough to make the purchase.

  Currently a lot of emergency communications is done in the 150 to 160 MHz spectrum. There is a lot of discussion that when television goes completely digital, there will be 700 MHz spectrum available. This spectrum will require twice as many repeater towers as the 160 MHz spectrum uses to get worse connectivity.

  The solution to emergency communications is not to take all of the spectrum available. The solution is national standards for connection between municipalities, so that a National Emergency can be handled between municipalities.

  Cornelius Eastman Posted February 7, 2006 3:09 PM