NTIA to Test Public Safety Spectrum Sharing Using D.C. Network

NTIA picked D.C.’s Wireless Accelerated Responder Network (WARN) to test spectrum sharing, fulfilling one of 24 recommendations in the Administration’s 21st Century Spectrum policy initiative. NTIA plans to complete a report on WARN this year.

D.C. has been testing public safety use of 700 MHz spectrum, on an experimental FCC license, for more than a year. The network got its first major test providing support for the Jan. 2005 presidential inauguration.

“NTIA and the FCC, as well as the Dept. of Homeland Security and Congress and everyone, is trying to grapple with next generation communications to support our first responders,” Robert LeGrande, deputy CTO of the D.C. govt., told us Tues. “We have been working with them on a daily basis to leverage our lessons learned… and turning this into a more formal pilot makes sense.”

“Joint federal-local communications systems have the potential for enormous capital and spectrum efficiencies as well as inherent interoperability benefits,” acting NTIA Dir. John Kneuer said in a written statement. “The system provides broadband tools for city wide remote surveillance, chemical and biological detection and several other emergency related services.” The 2004 spectrum report told NTIA to develop a pilot program examining “the feasibility of sharing spectrum among commercial, federal and local public safety and critical infrastructure applications, including the possibility of leasing services.”

D.C.’s wireless broadband network test has been limited to just 200 users on the experimental license, LeGrande said. Whether formal NTIA involvement will allow more users remains to be seen.

Agencies have used the wireless network many ways, such as streaming footage of demonstrations. Command buses use WARN as a primary way of communicating with hq, using a satellite link as a backup. “It’s so much easier to get a signal with this than with satellite,” LeGrande said.

LeGrande -- who pushed for a 700 MHz network due to that spectrum’s ability to penetrate walls and other barriers and need for relatively few transmitters - said it has proven valuable. “700 MHz is critical and essential for public safety,” he said. “I am convinced of that more now than I ever was.”