Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

COMMITTEE ON JOINT SELECT COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY

Date:03/06/2006
ATTENDANCE
Time:12:10 PM to 01:17 PM
Benefield
*
Hagedorn
E
Place:SCR 354
Isgar
X
May M.
E
This Meeting was called to order by
McKinley
*
Senator Grossman
Spence
X
Stengel
E
This Report was prepared by
Teck
X
Jessika Shipley
Carroll T.
X
Grossman
X
X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call
Bills Addressed: Action Taken:
Radio Interoperability
CCNC		-
-


12:12 PM

Jay Jacobsmeyer, Perical Communications Company, gave a presentation on radio interoperability (Attachment A). Mr. Jacobsmeyer discussed the proprietary nature of radio systems used by emergency workers. He contrasted radio networks with open networks, which are the platform on which cellular phones work. The European public safety radio network (TETRA) is an open system. Mr. Jacobsmeyer responded to questions from the committee regarding open and closed systems, and the possibility of building a network on which any type of radio will work. He stated that the limitation is not the radios, but the infrastructure that is currently in place. He spoke about the dominant public safety radio vendors, including Motorola, M/A-COM, EF Johnson, and Kenwood. Mr. Jacobsmeyer discussed the transfer of analog bands from television to public safety operators. The three major bands of public safety are VHF, UHF, and 800 MHz, but there is new activity at 900 and 700 MHz and major vendors offer products in all bands. He discussed the general rules for coverage being affected by frequency and which frequencies work best in certain areas of the state.


12:29 PM

Mr. Jacobsmeyer continued his discussion of radio interoperability with a cost comparison between trunked radio on 900 MHz, conventional VHF radio, and cell phones. He talked about what is best for rural areas and covered whether some or all rural agencies moving to the state-funded 800 MHz system, known as the Cooperative Communications Network of Colorado (CCNC) or Digital Trunked Radio System (DTRS). He also discussed the best way to prioritize spending taxpayer dollars. Mr. Jacobsmeyer spoke about what is best for urban areas. His view is that all urban agencies should not move to CCNC, but rather create interoperability interfaces instead. However, it might be the best choice for some urban agencies and should b e considered on a case-by-case basis. He responded to questions from the committee regarding spending priorities.




12:41 PM

Mr. Jacobsmeyer discussed various interoperability solutions and the state of the industry. He stated that interoperability is a busy technology area, but it is not always simple or trouble-free. He also discussed Project 25 and the problem with proprietary infrastructures. Mr. Jacobsmeyer offered some suggestions for what the state should and should not do. He remarked that the state should encourage cooperation between agencies and it should not endorse specific vendors. He concluded with the idea that a common system for all users is not practical because it is too costly for rural areas currently using VHF.


12:52 PM

Chief Michael Coleman, Douglas County Sheriff's Office, spoke about the difference between CCNC and DTRS. Chief Coleman stated that DTRS is the physical system and CCNC is the network of users. He discussed various studies and discussions that have occurred regarding interoperability. He provided a packet of information with details of Colorado DTRS sites (Attachment B). He talked about the formal genesis of CCNC and provided some statistics about the network. He also discussed the coverage of DTRS and the goals for the state. He addressed some of the statistics provided by Mr. Jacobsmeyer regarding 700 MHz sites in Colorado.


01:00 PM

Chief Coleman talked about technical solutions for interoperability. In response to committee questions, Chief Coleman discussed the improvements to state interoperability since the Columbine incident in 1999. He brought up issues of centralized command posts and other communications issues. He spoke about funding sources for interoperability systems and mentioned the Department of Local Affairs WIN grant. The committee asked questions regarding DTRS cooperation with surrounding states. He talked about a large reprogramming project underway to move bands in an effort to remove interference. Chief Coleman provided a demonstration of the coverage of the DTRS. He also discussed the federal mandate to move to NIMS and communication between different agencies.


01:17 PM

Senator Teck distributed some materials relating to avian influenza (Attachments C and D). Senator Grossman adjourned the committee.