LA-RICS public-safety LTE project in peril after LA City Council votes to stop construction
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LA-RICS public-safety LTE project in peril after LA City Council votes to stop construction
Some sources cited the possibility that a different kind of a public-safety LTE deployment could be pursued in the Los Angeles area, given the region’s importance to the overall FirstNet mission. However, all sources agreed that any attempts to revamp the public-safety LTE initiative would face significant challenges on multiple levels, and none of the sources were willing to speculate on a workable scenario.
If the federal government grants extra time for the public-safety LTE project, LA-RICS and the city should get input from key stakeholders, including representatives of fire and police unions that have been outspoken in their criticism of the public-safety LTE initiative, Englander said. In addition, LA-RICS should revisit the technical design of the LTE project that was bid less than two years ago, he said.
“We haven’t even explored new technologies, whether those are microcells … I’ve got a microcell at my home; without a tower, you can have your own cell site,” Englander said. “You can buy those off the shelf today.
“This [the current LA-RICS LTE design] is technology that was started 20 and 30 years ago, and they haven’t looked at new technologies, which—quite frankly—could not only be less intrusive from a health perspective, from a community perspective, from an impact perspective, but also from a cost perspective. None of those things have been explored. We’re asking simply that they explore those things, as well.”
NTIA awarded LA-RICS with BTOP funding for the public-safety LTE project in 2009, just a few months before the world’s first commercial LTE service was launched in Europe.
Recent struggles with Los Angeles County, the city of Los Angeles and other regional jurisdictions are just the latest challenges for the LA-RICS LTE project. In 2011, LA-RICS selected Raytheon to build both the 700 MHz broadband LTE network and 700 MHz narrowband LMR system, but that bid result was vacated. Before the project could be rebid the following year, NTIA froze all public-safety BTOP initiatives in the wake of Congress passing the law that established FirstNet.
In the fall of 2013, FirstNet negotiated a spectrum-lease agreement with LA-RICS, and Motorola Solutions won the bid for the LTE system after also signing a contract to build the P25 LMR system for LA-RICS. Early last year, LA-RICS signed the contract with Motorola Solutions to build the public-safety LTE network before the BTOP grant deadline expires this fall.
Mallon has acknowledged that the LA-RICS deployment timetable for the public-safety LTE network is aggressive. In fact, Mallon has noted that the project is feasible only because LA-RICS was able to secure an exemption to the normally time-consuming state regulations under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), if all LTE cell sites could be build on government property.
However, when LA-RICS began installing the LTE cell towers near fire stations and police stations, union officials voiced concerns—opposition that also was expressed during yesterday’s Los Angeles City Council meeting. While health issues associated with RF emissions have been the focus of public union concerns in recent weeks, the representatives yesterday also noted other issues associated with the public-safety LTE project.
“We have heard for years now about grant deadlines and the importance of not losing federal funds,” Frank Lima, president of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City (UFLAC), said. “Unfortunately, we’ve heard very little about the health and safety of the LA-RICS or the environmental and community impacts. This can’t be just about finishing a project, so we can all get federal funds, [but] that’s what it has felt like all along.”
I know there are a lot of
I know there are a lot of moving parts to this story, and what’s important to industry insiders might not matter to others. But it would have been nice to have been able to read WHY this happened. I’m a former newspaper reporter with two-way radio background who’s new to this business. WHY was the project halted? Old technology? Citizen panic over cell phone towers? Lack of transparency? Some combination of all the above? All of that is hinted at near the bottom of the story, but none of it is clear. Taking a paragraph or two to spell it out for those of us who just walked in would have been nice.
Good for LA. LA doesn’t get
Good for LA. LA doesn’t get much right but in this instance they’re doing the right thing even if it is for some odd reasons. I suggest that perhaps they should also consider the future costs of implementing federal edicts. Like so many other federal programs this will be foisted off on customers with grant money only to have the costs of ongoing maintenance skyrocket down the road. stuff coming from DC is almost never affordable and almost never a good idea. P25 is such a great recent example of that. Radios are handed out under grants only to have the cost of ownership become completely unsustainable later. The feds and their corporate lackies really aren’t good at much and this retarded LTE effort is one of those things.
And this whole safety issue
And this whole safety issue is a joke. I’ve seen a majority of these fire and police station. Most already have some form of antenna or microwave dish installed on roof top. Other are build in older building with that sign (building contains chemicals known by the stat of Calif. to cause cancer…) Then there’s already fuel/tank station installed at most of the location. But most importantly the RF side. Think about cell phone carriers commercials (AT&T, Verison) remember the coverage maps. Well, how do cell phone signals manage to cover an area. Antennas are installed EVERYWHERE. On tower, poles, fake trees, and building facade. Some site you wouldn’t know there were antennas there. Some site have up to (12) antennas per carrier. All these complains about safety from RF but if I bet if a person’s phone drops or they’re stuck using 3G not 4G they flip out. Plus we are talking about LA County, how’s the air up there. Don’t get me wrong safety 1st, but come on think about it.
This tells the story,
This tells the story, “require member jurisdictions to participate in both the public-safety LTE project and the P25 public-safety LMR deployment being pursued by LA-RICS.” Safety may very well be the reason they are using but the above sentence tells more. Why build 2 systems at the same time? Especially when FirstNet still has much work to do on standards. If they were to build this LTE system would it fit the final standards of FirstNet or would they have to replace the one they are currently building with thousands more taxpayer dollars? Build the LMR system and leave LTE out of it until there are final standards. Also, mandating agencies to adopt both systems and not one or the other is a bad way to do business. Especially when you want their participation. Back to the drawing board.
The Public Safety entities in
The Public Safety entities in LA, the various politicians, and ultimately the citizens they serve, will get what they deserve out of this scenario. That is to say – nothing. There is so much misinformation being spouted that it’s a wonder these people feel confident enough to speak publicly.
First – The LTE sites being installed are no different than the commercial sites in use today. They will transmit with the same power. Second, the LTE sites use less power than LMR sites. All the concern around RF radiation is not only baseless, but demonstrates ignorance of the facts. Every citizen who puts their cell phone up to their ear, keeps it in their pockets, or has them attached to their hips are being exposed to just as much, and probably more, RF than comes off a cell tower, in much closer proximity. Ban cell phones everywhere LA!
Second – the LTE site technology being used isn’t 20 to 30 years old – impossible since LTE as a standard is only 5 years old. The individual mentions micro-cells which he has in his own house. Great for him, but he is using commercial band frequencies, not public safety frequencies. Equipment has to be manufactured to transmit/receive at specific frequencies, and the micro cell technology for public safety band LTE is in its infancy.
Third – public safety often clamors for Public Safety GRADE equipment. Meaning it needs to be hardened, resilient, and more reliable than the commercial counterparts. Unless citizens across LA are willing to install generators and UPS units inside their homes to power the microcells, they will not achieve the PS Grade requirements.
This is being maneuvered for political reasons only. Scientific fact and analysis is playing no part – just hype and emotional manipulations.
The public safety LTE system won’t just help responders do their jobs better – it will transform the way public safety takes place today. Entire new forms of information and intelligence will be available at their fingertips – helping fire commanders decide if a building is structurally sound before sending in fire teams, helping police commanders rapidly assess crowd dynamics and evaluate the most effective positions for crowd control, automating the transfer of information from one 911 center to another, electronically, without human intervention, and body-worn sensors that monitor the health of responders as they go into a situation, and automatically alert when the responder is hurt, and guide their backup to them remotely. All of these things just scratch the surface of the capabilities the network will provide.
Alas, the citizens and responders and politicians can all get what they deserve – nothing at all. So the next time there is an earthquake, wildfire, riot, or plain old house fire or domestic disturbance, and someone is injured or killed because they didn’t have effective or interoperable communications, everyone can look back and be proud. Be proud that they boxed themselves into 20th century communication modes because they were too short sighted to embrace 21st century technology. Who knows, the bad guys will probably be putting that 21st century technology to good use by then.