Government Technology - December 2008 - (Page DC11)

In New York, Boston, San Francisco and elsewhere, ofÆ cials are eager to deploy public safety networks. By setting basic requirements, the FCC could ensure that these systems would interoperate across municipal boundaries without further slowing the speed of implementation. deployed would likely be obsolete by the time many portions of the network are actually built, which would create the potential for future interoperability headaches. In addition, second- and third-tier communities could wait until 2020 or beyond before the network is deployed in their areas. Ideally the 700 MHz spectrum provides many chances for local communities to deploy state-of-the-art wireless networks. Geddes said this spectrum allows local governments to run more efﬁciently and give ﬁrst responders enhanced tools to respond to emergencies. According to Barry Fraser, telecommunications policy analyst for the San Francisco Department of Technology, “We would want to be able to use it daily for general public safety — police, ﬁre, EMS [emergency medical services].” Municipalities envision public safety applications that facilitate a variety of services including: • helping police by sending videos of crimes or events to an incident command center; • aiding building inspectors and ﬁ re network could improve the effectiveness responders with real-time updates of local government operations, not just of mapping information and the public safety, if it were left in the hands ability to download building blue- of municipalities.” prints; and • helping paramedics and doctors Telling it to the FCC with remote medical diagnoses and While private interests demanded a 15treatments. year build-out schedule, local municipal However, the network envisioned leaders are now ready to begin deployby the FCC is single-purpose, whereas ing networks. “I would be deploying my public safety ofﬁcials have been inter- wireless network on 700 MHz if it were ested in mixed-use networks that sup- available tomorrow — it will enable us ply different services and applications to do things we’ve never been able to do to various users, with a focus on local — that’s the bottom line,” said Donald needs. For many municipal public safety Denning Jr., public safety CIO of Boston. ofﬁcials, local network control faciliCity ofﬁcials are deeply concerned tates local decision-making vis-à-vis about the way the 700 MHz public safety who has access and what applications band has been handled so far. Cosgrave are deployed. Geddes’ opinion is at odds declared the auction process “ﬂawed” with the single-use, public safety net- because of its focus on a single, national work mandated by the FCC: “A whole license. Though the regional licensure is host of other government services, like seen as a step in the right direction, Wilautomatic meter reading, transportation liam Oates, CIO of Boston, provided a enhancements for automatic fare collec- succinct analysis of the main concerns tion and passenger counting, wireless ofﬁcials have raised: “Our biggest issue bill pay and wireless permitting could be is to have access to this spectrum so that, deployed over the network at little incre- from a city and regional level, we can mental cost to the municipalities. The solve the information-sharing issues in Boston San Francisco DIGITAL COMMUNITIES DECEMBER 08 DIGITAL COMMUNITIES JUNE 07 11

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - December 2008

Government Technology - December 2008 Contents Point of View Four Questions for... On the Scene Big Picture Year in Review Who Controls Your Network? Paper Makes a Comeback Halting Meth Abuse Spectrum Up Close signal:noise Digital Communities Contents Becoming a Digital Community Rethinking 700 MHz Smart Grids: Powering the Future Gearing Up for Crime 2.0 Software Predicts Crime Local Portals on the Red Carpet More Than Just a Pretty Face

Government Technology - December 2008

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