D.C. OFFICIALS TOUT NEW WIRELESS PUBLIC SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

Joseph Ross, dir.-wireless programs for D.C.’s Office of Chief Technology Officer, told NCC meeting that 50 MHz of spectrum at 4.9 GHz allocated by FCC for public safety last year wouldn’t be adequate for mobile data needs in District. “We can’t afford to deploy 400-plus sites,” he said, which would be number of hot spots required to set up Wi-Fi type system for public safety. “The per-unit access cost is low but the net cost is high,” he said. Ross said 24 MHz of spectrum set aside for public safety at 700 MHz would provide excellent coverage but didn’t meet peak through-put requirements and didn’t adequately scale in capacity. Required technical solution for D.C. wireless programs for public safety could be met with spread spectrum technologies such as 1xEVDO/1xEVDV or Flash OFDM, he said. Those technologies require 1.25 MHz channel bandwidth with at least 0.5 MHz guard band on each edge, he said. “All these technologies reuse all the technologies at every site,” he said. Ross pinpointed spectrum in lower 700 MHz bands or upper band Block C as possible candidates to meet coverage and capacity requirements.

While Ross pitched capitol’s spectrum requirements, several NCC participants said advisory committee was created by FCC to work on standards for existing public safety spectrum, not to advocate for new allocations. Others said some of solutions backed by D.C. officials wouldn’t be workable on larger basis because of potential of interfering with other jurisdictions.

After sarin gas attacks that killed 12 people in Tokyo subway in 1995, Energy Dept., Justice Dept., Transportation Dept. and National Institute of Justice partnered with D.C. officials in planning biochemical detection program, said Lt. Stephen Fennell of D.C. Fire & Emergency Medical Service. “Obviously, it’s on the front burner now with what’s going on in the world of terrorism,” he said. Argonne National Lab, which is main contractor, will start activating some stations in city next month.

Washington is gearing up to begin deployment of biochemical sensor system in Metro stations next month, but officials said wireless data system would provide better coverage than existing set-up that uses wireline laptop PC hookups. System uses laptop computers that can be plugged in at Metro station near where sensors detect biochemical incident, Fennell said. “A wireless system is essential in our view because it allows us the ability to allow our incident commanders view live video as they are approaching the scene,” he said. “Right now the best they can offer us is the ability to go to a nearby station that has not been affected by the chemical release and plug in a shoreline to a laptop computer at that particular station.” Laptop hookups are situated within 10-15 ft. of vent shafts at Metro stations. “So if there is a sizeable release of a chemical product, you can certainly be assured that that incident commander, if he’s close enough to it, will become affected by it.” Such plug-in stations are at only 6 Metro stations in city. “Taking into account the entire number of stations that are in the city, it limits us greatly,” he said.

Wireless broadband also is needed for heavy file transfer among law enforcement agencies, particularly of detailed new hazardous material (hazmat) information involving biological and chemical threats, Lt. David Mulholland of U.S. Park Police said. Federal wireless interoperability project that involves partnership with D.C. agencies, U.S. Capitol Police and Secret Service plans to explore several applications that involve wireless broadband, he said. Broadband connections are needed for dense file transfers for documents such as those identifying chemical and biological weapons or other threats, he said. “There’s so much information that is coming out now and it’s hard to educate our officers,” he said. “We can’t expect them to have a hazmat book memorized in their head. We need to provide them with tools in their cars.”

High-speed wireless data also are needed for video-based applications, which are more cost-effective than microwave- based feeds that are used now, Mulholland said. “The applications that we want to do because of the diverse geography in the Washington area transcend hot spots,” he said. “Many of the critical incidents, crashes and things, occur in the more remote areas. Those are the areas that you won’t be able to cover when you use some of the wireless technology that only allows hot spots.”

Separately, Dr. Fernando Daniels, chief medical officer of D.C. Fire and EMS, also stressed need for real-time, high- quality video to aid dispatchers, ambulance drivers and other public safety personnel in responding to emergencies. “It’s key to us being prepared for terrorist attacks, we should be able to relay the video to the appropriate receiving entities, be it the CDC, the CIA, the FBI or whomever needs to see it around a potentially suspicious incident,” Daniels said. Ross said that if there were 10 simultaneous video feeds involving emergency, wireless system would be needed that could handle 250 kbps on reverse link per device per ambulance. “We need PDAs that can do the same thing with a handheld camera, so we're talking about 250 kbps per use and as much as 2.5 Mbps in the reverse link,” he said.

But several NCC participants said spectrum needs outlined by D.C. officials had been long-standing issues they already were working on through national groups and federal agencies. NCC Interoperability Subcommittee Chmn. John Powell said efforts had focused on technologies that fit into existing band plans and spectrum allocations. Some of wideband applications proposed by D.C. would have potential to destroy ability to use other parts of spectrum. Point of public safety entities’ working jointly on 802.11-types of applications is that their per-unit cost based on mass purchasing power could make multiple hot-spot networks affordable, he said. Robert Gurss, counsel for Assn. for Public Safety Communications Officials, said issues such as availability of spectrum at 700 MHz were ultimate purview of Congress, particularly on clearance of broadcasters in advance of DTV deadlines.