Oregon’s plan to build a statewide emergency radio network has soared $107 million over budget because of mismanagement, missed deadlines and hidden costs, reports the Oregonian today in a front page story by Brent Walth.
The new price tag is $592 million, according to the consultant that designed the project. That’s far beyond the $485 million cost that state officials were citing only a few months ago. Here’s an architecural primer (pdf).
Internal state audits and reports released to The Oregonian Tuesday under the state’s public records law show state officials also failed to include big-ticket items — such as a $10 million operations center needed to help run the radio network — in the cost estimates they gave to legislators.
Managers of the project — formally called the Oregon Wireless Interoperability Network — never included a contingency to guard against cost overruns, driving costs up by another $20 million.
“I think it’s imperative that the Legislature review this entire project,” said Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose. “I can’t justify cutting essential services while we’re paying for radio towers in a project with an uncertain budget and timeline.”
The OWIN project has four primary goals (pdf):
- Infrastructure. Design and construct a reliable public safety radio system for Oregon’s emergency responders.
- Narrowbanding. Comply with the Federal Communications Commission’s Dec. 31, 2012, deadline to transition state radios from wideband to narrowband on the radio spectrum.
- Consolidation. Consolidate four existing independent state radio systems for more efficient management.
- Interoperability. Create a network that all public safety radio users in Oregon can access to communicate with responders from other agencies and jurisdictions.
According to the Oregonian:
An outside audit released to The Oregonian provided a stinging critique of the project’s management under the previous director, Lindsay Ball, who retired in August. Ball did not respond to a request for an interview.
“Overall, the project’s progress has been alarmingly slow, and this appears to be in part because the project is organized in an inefficient and confusing manner,” says a Sept. 7 report written by Public Knowledge, the auditor hired by the state to investigate the project’s many problems.
While the transportation department has made progress in fixing deep problems, the report says, “There is still confusion around scope, schedule and budget, as well as around decision making responsibility.”
Five years ago, lawmakers approved the radio system, which is supposed be switched on by the end of 2012. That’s when the federal government is requiring public safety agencies to switch to new radio systems.
But the proposed network goes far beyond replacing old radios and the federal requirements. The network’s plan calls for about 300 radio towers — most located on hard-to-reach mountaintops — that will allow police, fire and public safety officials statewide to talk to each other, and keep talking if other communication systems fail.
The FCC moved the 2011 deadline that required narrowband radios operating below 512 MHz be replaced. Now it’s 2013. For many small public-safety entities — like volunteer fire departments — with an annual budget in the hundreds of dollars, the idea of spending $3,500 on new radios to replace systems that work fine has been unpalatable. Motorola, Harris and EF Johnson like the plan.
Alcatel-Lucent is promoting its 700 MHz Public Safety solution and recently made a data call on it. Alca-Lu is using the 10 MHz of broadband frequencies licensed to the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST) which it will use in combination with the 10 MHz of adjacent frequencies known as the D Block in the U.S. These frequencies combined form Band 14.
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials likes Senator Jay Rockefeller’s bill, which would allow first responders to resell D Block spectrum and receive additional funding by selling off tv spectrum.
The FCC’s plan would require the D Block licensee to provide a network that covers 75% of the U.S. population by the end of the fourth year, 95% of the U.S. population by the end of the seventh year, and 99.3% of the U.S. population by the end of the tenth year. The FCC wants that 10 MHz chunk shared by public service and commercial users. Taxpayers don’t need to fund the construction of a dedicated, multi-billion dollar public safety network if commercial providers build it, say promoters of the FCC plan.
Verizon Wireless and AT&T, both with 700 MHz spectrum from 2008 auctions, want to see the D Block go to public safety. So does Motorola, which dominates the market for first responder communications equipment and handsets. T-Mobile USA and Sprint Nextel Corp., eager for more spectrum, support the FCC proposal.
The FCC’s plan — supported by the co-chairs of the 9/11 Commission — “will ensure the build-out of a network that is cutting edge, reliable, and cost-effective,” FCC spokesman Rob Kenny said. It would auction off the 10 MHz “D Block”, but allow public service agencies to use the commercial frequencies. The FCC says it lowers cost and increases broadband penetration for everyone.
Public safety users currently use 800 MHz for most voice traffic, and recently were given an additional 10 MHz previously used by Nextel. In the 700 MHz Public Safety Band, they received (free) the equivalent of four television channels (roughly Ch 63 & 64 and Ch 68 &69) in the 700 MHz band. Half those frequencies will be used for narrowband voice, the other half for broadband (LTE).
Now Public Safety has their eyes on a potential cash cow – the “D-Block”.
Public service lobbyists like Motorola want taxpayers to build a dedicated, stand alone, nationwide wireless network and buy their $5,000 radios. They make a compelling argument.
Humaninet’s Maps 2.0 tool enables humanitarian organizations to post, access, share, modify, and use critical, geo-referenced information in emergency relief operations, post-emergency reconstruction, and continuing development projects.
Now handheld satellite phones are available. They allow anyone to access broadband – either direct via satellite or through AT&T’s cellular network.
TerreStar’s $799 Windows Mobile-based Genus phone (right) was announced for AT&T, offering a combination of GSM/HSPA and satellite access when far from a cell tower.
The $799 phone requires regular AT&T voice and data service plans. It uses the AT&T network where it’s available. When out of cellular range, it will switch over to the satellite. The satellite connection will costs $25 extra per month, and then 65 cents per minute of calling.
Putting a $700 TerreStar dual mode (cellular/satellite) satphone into the pockets of 1,000 first responders would cost $700 thousand — not $700 million.
It WILL be operational WHEN The Big One strikes.
The FCC says cellular operators have already built a nationwide broadband network. First responders will get priority access to all of it.
If public service agencies try to build their own LTE cellular network, they won’t get the coverage they need – or the funding. Instead, a joint public/private system – utilizing the “D Block” – would benefit everyone with better coverage, improved service, and lower costs.
State departments of Highway, Forestry, Corrections and State Police – in Oregon and other states – all have their own networks. A shared, interoperable communications system, they argue, is needed. Nobody doubts that.
But paying for a dedicated 700 MHz statewide network and thousands of interoperable P-25 radios is expensive and ultimately bandwidth limited.
The FCC argues that 700 MHz commercial cellular operators – including AT&T and Verizon – should work with first responders in building statewide networks, reducing duplication and expense. In exchange, first responders could use their own dedicated 12 Mhz broadband 700 MHz data network – but also use a commercialized “D-Block” – with priority access to virtually any cellular broadband resource.
The FCC and the 911 Commission say sharing broadband infrastructure delivers better service for first responders and citizens. Isn’t that what we all want?
Related Dailywireless articles include; Riot in D Block, Why Cops Don’t Just Use Cell Phones, LightSquared + SK Telecom, The 700MHz Network: Who Pays?, Public Safety Spectrum Grab, Public Safety: Show Us The Money, SF Announces LTE First Responder Net, Clearwire to Test LTE, Apps for the City, LightSquared: 5K Basestations by 2011, Phoney Spectrum Scarcity, D-Block: It’s Done; Congress Pays, The 700MHz Network: Who Pays?, Big Bucks for 700 MHz Public Safety, FCC: Stop Complaining about Interoperability, Police & Fire: No Broadband for You, Commentary: Future of Public Safety Communications, New York Cancels Statewide Wireless Network, New York’s $2B Statewide Network Close to Canceling, M/A-COM to NY: We’re Good, NY Gives Tyco 45 days to Fix Network, Battle for Oregon’s State-wide Radio Net, Twitter 911, FCC Okays 21 Public Service Nets, FCC: Stop Complaining about Interoperability, Police & Fire: No Broadband for You, The 700MHz Network: Who Pays?, The National Broadband Plan, National Broadband Plan Previewed, D-Block: It’s Done; Congress Pays, AT&T/TerreStar Ready Satphone Service, TerreStar Phones Home, Motorola + SkyTerra Team for 700 MHz/Sat Radios, Alvarion, Open Range To Build 17 State Net, San Diego State: Wildfire GIS to Go, Emergency Mapping, Cascadia Peril, Commentary: Future of Public Safety Communications, New York Cancels Statewide Wireless Network, New York’s $2B Statewide Network Close to Canceling, M/A-COM to NY: We’re Good, NY Gives Tyco 45 days to Fix Network, Battle for Oregon’s State-wide Radio Net, Oregon’s $500 Million Statewide Wireless Network.
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Rogers Communications announced today the commercial launch of Canada’s first Long Term Evolution network, bringing LTE service to the Ottawa region. Rogers also announced that network rollout to Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal will occur this fall, and that LTE-enabled smartphones from Samsung and HTC will be available later this year.
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