Communication issues for autumn

Oct 1, 2001 12:00 PM, By David O. Dunford

Fall is my favorite time of year. The weeds at the tower site will be gone soon. We older people take delight when we can tower-climb without getting heat exhaustion. Cheap mastic pads and imported electrical tapes don't melt and stick to your fingers in October. We could warm ourselves with thoughts of pending wintertime fellowship and holiday cheer if it weren't for pesky distractions such as:

Issue 1. Konrad Brown is a tenured Motorola salesman from the days when knowledgeable factory people actually sold products for that firm. Recently, Konrad sent out a brief email giving a “heads up” to his customers about the FCC audit letters that will be mailed over the next several months. For the curious or disbelieving, he included the Internet link directly to the FCC's Web page notice. This story, related “audit letter” and the actions of the commission provoke awe and amazement.

You can make an automobile fly if you bolt on enough parts, but would you want to fly across the country in it? The FCC's IT staff has been bolting more parts onto the ULS trying to get it off the ground. After all of the — well let's just call it “bureaucratic process” — to get the computerized ULS up and operating, the FCC is nearly finished.

But the system only works when we, the system users, operators and licensees, send all the correct data back to the FCC, which is where it came from originally. I wish they had just called it an audit of “sketchy records” instead of an audit of “construction and operational status.” We on the technical side of licensee operations can well understand what it's like to have a few bits of missing data.

Be sure to fill out the forms and furnish the requested information. While you're at it, take a cue from Konrad and notify your customers or other nearby user agencies about this pending mass mailer.

Issue 2. Did someone say Nextel? In our neck of the woods the use of Nextel handsets by public safety is growing. We've seen a flurry of emails about Nextel's efforts to provide cross-fleet direct connect and, eventually, nationwide direct connect. “Yes, we have no privacy” will be the marketing theme of that venture. Because these devices can benefit public safety by offloading non-critical traffic from our real radio systems, why doesn't Nextel give us a leg up? My suggestion to Sandy Baer, who works in Nextel's Reston, VA, brain box, is to establish a parallel sub-system specifically for public safety. Such a hookup would permit cross-fleet-like direct connect with non-public safety users and provide a reliable degree of talk-path availability.

Issue 3. We need to start thinking in terms of “mobile information” instead of “mobile data.” Many agencies already have mobile data, and like most early data communications, it rolls along at a sleepy pace. Even though NCIC 2000 was planned with a suite of services based on 4800 baud throughput, consumer wireless Internet applications should drive the deployment of more advanced services. It would be a real asset to public safety if Radioman could help with new and emerging mobile information technologies.

Have an enjoyable autumn, when you go for a walk leave the Nextel at home, and trust the FCC. They're here to help us.

Dunford, MRT's public safety consultant, is technical services consultant for the Lenexa, KS, Police Department. He is a member of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials — International. You can email Dunford at mrt@intertec.com.