The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“FEDERAL INTEROPERABLE COMMUNICATIONS AND SAFETY ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S5655-S5656 on June 8, 2006.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
FEDERAL INTEROPERABLE COMMUNICATIONS AND SAFETY ACT
Mrs. CLINTON. Despite the fact that there has been progress on the issue of interoperability, such as the transfer of much needed spectrum for first responder communications and the allocation of $1 billion for interoperability grants that passed last year, it is clear that incidents like Hurricane Katrina demonstrate that there remains more work to be done.
What I am concerned about is that 5 years after 9/11, I do not believe that there has been the leadership role at the Federal level to give this issue the full attention and high profile that it demands.
I believe we need an office at DHS that will be charged with continually analyzing, continually assessing, and continually thinking about how to coordinate not only the Federal agencies that manage and operate communications systems, but the local and State governments, who often have very different ideas of what interoperability means.
Additionally, we also need to give that office the resources and authority it needs to carry out its mission.
We have ostensibly given the leadership role of one of the most critical issues to emerge from 9/11 and Katrina to the SAFECOM Office within DHS. However, it is my understanding that this office has fewer than 10 full-time employees and for all intents and purposes is buried within the DHS bureaucracy. While I understand that this office is headed and staffed by dedicated professionals, how do we provide the Federal leadership necessary with fewer than 10 people?
SAFECOM, according to its own Director, needs more authority in funding decisions and its interactions with other agencies.
We have got to get serious about this matter, and I believe that legislation I have recently introduced, S. 3172, the Federal Interoperable Communications Act of 2006, takes us a step in that direction and I would like to thank Senators Salazar and Durbin for cosponsoring my legislation.
My bill is not radical in how it is put together nor does it espouse to have the latest technology that will solve the interoperability problem once and for all. But it does put forth a blueprint in how the Federal Government can utilize all of the assets at its disposal and ensure that there is clear accountability and leadership on this issue at the Federal level.
It creates an interoperability czar who would report directly to the Secretary of Homeland Security. It also puts that czar in charge of a central interoperability office and gives it a clear mission, outlines responsibilities and expectations, and allows it to get the resources it would need to carry out its mission.
It requires the development of a national strategy, which would include an inventory that identifies the channels and frequencies used in every Federal agency and keeps track of what is being used by the State and local officials, so that when first responders from the Federal Government or other jurisdictions respond to an incident, they will know what frequencies and radios are being used.
This strategy sets clear benchmarks to ensure that we are constantly evaluating our capabilities and adjusting our strategies accordingly to changes in threats, advancements in technology and other factors.
My bill would also help ensure that the money that we are spending now on interoperability grants is being spent wisely and efficiently by ensuring that the grant guidelines are consistent with the goals and mission of the Office of Emergency Communication and that grant recipients have submitted a statewide interoperability plan or have adopted national consensus standards of how their platforms will work.
There have been dozens of first responders, emergency support providers, and Federal, State, and local officials who have testified before Congress, where they have cited the need for consistency in Federal grant guidelines and clarity in the DHS mission for a national emergency communications plan, and my bill seeks to address those concerns.
My bill also will help ensure that there is always an open line of communication between the State and local governments, the private sector, and the Interoperability Czar by creating regional working groups that include virtually every entity with an interest in communications policy that can report the specific needs and progress in a region.
Finally, the bill also creates an Emergency Communications Preparedness Center which will be a consortium of all the Federal agencies that have focused on interoperable communications, namely the FCC, DHS, Commerce, DOD, and the Justice Department. I envision that this would be the Federal clearinghouse which would help ensure that these agencies which have access to the latest technologies and innovative strategies in interoperable communications can share and coordinate that information and technology to the benefit of the State and local agencies they work with.
I also have provisions that will help facilitate the creation of a national and interoperable alert warning system.
Basically, this bill boils down to providing the leadership needed at the top level to ensure that the technologies, best practices, and resources are flowing to the men and women on the ground.
One of the key recommendations of the 9/11 Commission was to deploy interoperable communications for all of our Nation's first responders. Indeed, this is an enormous, difficult, and complicated task, which requires and demands the immediate and coordinated attention of our Federal Government. My legislation will help ensure that this critical issue gets the attention that it deserves.
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