Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Dog Pound - Dec. 13, 2002

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 17:51:15 -0500

Big news from the FCC:

They issued a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Wednesday asking for comments on
the need to extend compliance with 911 rules to other services, including telematics,
multi-line telephone systems, PBXs and Centrex services. The FCC also asked if mobile
satellite service providers should establish national call centers to which all 911
emergency calls would be routed, and for comments on how the service might be implemented.

Second, the FCC released a report on unintentional and accidental wireless 911 calls, and
issued a Consumer Alert explaining how wireless phone subscribers can prevent such calls.
The FCC said it would send the alert to 1,300 consumer groups, and it has posted an
on-line version as well. Perhaps most important to public safety, the FCC said in a press
release, "Commission staff will assist efforts to eliminate unintentional 911 calls by
continuing to monitor, in partnership with public safety organizations, developments in
this area." They then added, "If the actions taken by wireless carriers and equipment
manufacturers do not appear to be ameliorating the problem, Commission staff intends to
seek specific information about the causes, and initiate action to further reduce the
volume of unintentional wireless 911 calls." Translation: We're not doing anything yet,
but wireless carriers--don't press your luck.

Check our Wireless 911 and 911 pages for the links.

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Big bucks and high wattages in Philadelphia as they switch to a new digital 800 MHz radio
system for the public safety agencies. The city spent $52 million to blanket the city with
lots of RF to provide total coverage for the police and fire departments--and knocking
scannerists off the air until Uniden's digital hits stores early next year. Reception test
on the new radios reportedly found excellent coverage even deep inside downtown buildings. 

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A long story in "Newsday" headlined, "A Failure to Communicate," and explained the
interoperability problems experienced by public safety agencies, and mentioning the recent
Hart-Rudman report on terrorism preparedness. The story stated, "Improvements in emergency
communications have been hindered by funding shortages, local politics and, in one case,
the television broadcast lobby." It then went on to describe the digital TV frequency
tie-up and how the Department of Defense also has a huge amount of key spectrum. And,
taking a tip from the Hound, it says that many cities can inter-communicate, "because
agencies don't want to give up control of their own system." They quote IAFC's Alan
Caldwell saying, "If you don't have the attitude to share with your neighbors, then it
ends there."

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Bye-bye to Monessen's (Penn.) comm center, which will close down at 7 a.m. on Dec. 27,
helping to trim a $400,000 city budget shortfall--and lay off the center's 4 dispatchers.
Westmoreland County will take over dispatching, and a callbox will appear in front of
police headquarters for walk-up emergencies. No word if the city dispatchers are being
offered county jobs.

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Yipee! The LA regional CHP will have a new comm center by 2004 as part of a $46 million
project to build a traffic management center and comm center. The 89,000 square-foot
building sorta near Pasadena will house the traffic management center, which will monitor
freeway cameras, tow truck patrols, pavement sensors and ramp metering systems, and a
separate CHP comm center.

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