Private Funds Sought for Safety Network

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) commissioner Michael Copps speaks during the annual FCC Breakfast at the National Association of Broadcasters conference in Las Vegas in this April 17, 2007 file photo. The communications system used by the nation's police, fire and other public safety agencies remains plagued by problems despite the lessons of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) (Jae C. Hong - AP)

The real question for public safety professionals is, what specifically will this do for us?

It seems counterintuitive, but the most advanced services _ like streaming video and data _ will come on line first. Voice communications will take much longer as emergency workers in thousands of local jurisdictions migrate from trusted, existing voice systems to new, interoperable voice networks on a common network.

Washington, D.C., has been operating a wireless broadband pilot program for three years. The technology allowed U.S. Park Police to monitor the Fourth of July celebration on the National Mall using live streaming video shot from a hovering helicopter and fed to a mobile command center, according to Robert LeGrande, deputy chief technology officer for the District of Columbia.

He said the technology, when fully deployed, will allow firefighters to access building plans from a central database before charging into a raging fire and give police instant access to drivers' information and bulletins on wanted fugitives.

"I think the broadband technology is the new platform that public safety needs in order to provide next-generation communications where voice, video and data can come together on single devices," he said.

The auction, by law, must take place by Jan. 28, 2008.

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