National Public Safety Telecommunications Council Committee Meetings September 29-30, 2011 Orlando, Florida

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1 National Public Safety Telecommunications Council Committee Meetings September 29-30, 2011 Orlando, Florida Call to Order, Ralph Haller, NPSTC Ralph Haller, Chair, National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC), called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. on September 29, A roll call of the members of the Governing Board confirmed a quorum was present. Mr. Haller welcomed David Boyd, Department of Homeland Security s (DHS), Office for Interoperability and Compatibility (OIC), and Chris Essid, Office of Emergency Communications (OEC). Attending by teleconference was David Furth, Deputy Chief, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB), Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Mr. Haller welcomed three new Governing Board members and alternates to NPSTC: Terry LaValley, representing the National Association of State Technology Directors (NASTD); Gary McCarraher, alternate, International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC); and John Theimer, National Association of State Foresters (NASF). John McIntosh, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), unable to attend at the last minute, provided his proxy vote to Lloyd Mitchell, Forestry Conservation Communications Association (FCCA). Mr. Haller thanked Rick Comerford, International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), for hosting a party for the Governing Board on the previous evening. Motion and Vote: Harlin McEwen, International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), moved to approve the agenda. Alan Caldwell, IAFC, seconded the motion. The motion passed. Office for Interoperability and Compatibility (OIC), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Dr. David Boyd, Director Dr. Boyd said he was very glad to be working with OIC again. He is developing an overview of the program at the Science and Technology Directorate. This will be a holistic look at the whole spectrum of how interoperability is addressed from the radios themselves to the devices carried over the system including work on the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) standard. Dr. Boyd said one of OIC s most successful technology development initiatives has been its support of the multi-band radio through stimulation of the marketplace by encouraging additional manufacturers to develop similar equipment that meet the mission requirements identified by the emergency response community. There are now five manufacturers producing these radios. The federal budget environment is confusing and complicated. The Senate has not approved a budget since A continuing resolution does not automatically provide a percent of the previous year s budget for any agency. This lack of certainty creates issues for OIC; for example, the Senate provides funding to OIC for next year, but the House does not. Dr. Boyd said OIC will continue to support critical NPSTC Meeting Minutes September 2011 Page 1

2 programs like NPSTC and Project 25 (P25). Dr. Bob Griffin, Director, First Responder Programs, has slated money to continue to support P25 and legacy systems, and, as new systems evolve, OIC will develop strategies to support legacy systems and the changes due to broadband use. Kevin McGinnis, National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials (NASEMSO), thanked Dr. Boyd and Dr. Griffin for their continuing support of the P25 program, which he called extremely important. Office of Emergency Communications (OEC), DHS, Chris Essid, Director Mr. Essid provided an update on OEC activities, noting that the return of Dr. Boyd to DHS and his expertise on public safety s needs has been a very positive move. Mr. Essid recognized NPSTC s work to improve communications since He said OEC was established in 2007 and has worked hard to assist the states through programs such as the successful development of the COML [Communications Unit Leader] program. OEC has improved grant guidance by working to create one voice from the feds on grant guidance. OEC has assisted in state and local planning, resulting in 140 jurisdictions that have tactical interoperable communications plans. He noted the 9/11 recommendations report that praised the work done on governance and statewide planning and that also recommended the creation of the nationwide network. Mr. Essid said the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASIs) demonstrated compliance with Goal One of the National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP) last year. In completing Goal Two, evaluators are collecting a great deal of information from 3,000 counties on training and exercises, technology, SOPs, governance, and the integration of systems into daily operations. OEC has been working through the Statewide Interoperability Committees (SWICs) to acquire the information that should provide a snapshot of the state of communications in the nation. Goal Three is to be completed in OEC has some early participants who have volunteered to demonstrate response-level communications in a disaster. Regarding funding, Mr. Essid said grants have been cut including the Interoperable Emergency Communications Grant Plan (IECGP), which targeted elements of the SAFECOM Continuum and was instrumental in helping statewide planning and new governance structures. OEC is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to implement grant guidance that would allow funding for these areas. The President has announced support for the nationwide public safety broadband network. In June, the White House coordinated an event with the DHS Secretary, FCC representatives, and the Attorney General highlighting the need for such a network. The American Jobs Act included language on the network as well. The community had hoped a bill would pass before 9/11. Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB), FCC, David Furth, Deputy Chief Mr. Furth, reporting by teleconference, provided an update on the PSHSB activities. The Commission has been very active on Next Generation (NG) 911, issuing a rulemaking last week on developing multimedia capabilities in the 911 system. The Commission does not look at NG 911 in isolation but in tandem with the work on the public safety broadband network. The future funding of the network is in the hands of the Congress. The FCC continues to work with the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST) and the waiver jurisdictions on what they hope will be the first stage of the network. Work on the technical rules for the use of LTE continues. Mr. Furth said the Commission will continue to do as much as possible to further the vision of the interoperable broadband network. He said the FCC is very NPSTC Meeting Minutes September 2011 Page 2

3 appreciative of NPSTC s work to develop public safety requirements and other essential information. The Commission is also focused on narrowband and believes narrowband voice will continue to be the backbone of mission critical voice communications. The January 1, 2013, deadline is fast approaching for VHF/UHF narrowbanding. The Commission has done a great deal of outreach to reinforce the mandate and the firm date for compliance and appreciates the strong participation in that effort through NPSTC and its organizations, the SWICs, and OEC. The Commission reports close to 50 percent compliance at this time. They know there will be jurisdictions that will have trouble meeting the deadline and issued a Public Notice (PN) in July providing guidance for those that will seek waivers, including how to file, when to file, and what type of information the FCC will need. Mr. Furth encouraged those agencies who will seek waivers to contact the FCC in a timely manner. Regarding the issue of funding narrowbanding, Mr. Furth agreed that challenges face all agencies and existing grant programs. The Commission will work as best they can to reach out to Congress on the importance of narrowbanding. Mr. Furth referred to a letter NPSTC sent to the Commission on pending items in 700 MHz including a narrowbanding deadline in that band in The Commission will address those issues this year, including the channel plan, NPSTC s petition on aerial use, and other pending technical issues, he said. Mr. Haller added that Tracy Simmons, FCC, reported the Bureau will host a workshop and webinar on October 31, in the Commission Meeting Room on the role of deployable aerial communications architecture in emergency communications and next steps. Comments: Al Ittner, Motorola Solutions, asked if the waivers filed in the St. Louis area are public comments. Mr. Furth said the narrowbanding docket should have those requests and the Bureau plans to issue a docket with a Public Notice process so that reviewers can comment on the process. Terry Hall, Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International (APCO), asked whether the FCC s map of the narrowbanding effort reflects updating of licenses or only that a deployable plan exists. The Commission assumes when licensees add a narrowband designator they have updated their plan, Mr. Furth said. The Commission would like to be sure that the information in that database reflects the true state of things. John Powell, Chair, Interoperability Committee, thanked Mr. Furth for his promise to complete the pending items in the 700 MHz band. Technology Committee, Tom Sorley, Chair Broadband Working Group, Andy Thiessen, Chair, and David Buchanan, Vice Chair Mr. Buchanan reported on the work of the three Task Groups of the BBWG: Local Control Task Group, Security Task Group, and the Priority and Quality of Service (QoS) Task Group. The Priority and QoS Task Group has had a number of meetings and has issued a broadband questionnaire asking for feedback on the issues surrounding priority and quality of service. Mark Adams, Chair, Security Task Group, reported that the Security Task Group would have its first face-to-face meeting at 7:00 pm, following the NPSTC meeting. NPSTC Meeting Minutes September 2011 Page 3

4 Mr. Sorley introduced two recipients of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate s (S&T) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant program to research and develop public safety mobile broadband applications for mission critical voice. Fanny Milnarsky, OctoScope, reported on a Phase One project to define the architecture for public safety LTE broadband. Phase One focuses on the architecture of the handset and the network components of broadband systems. They are adding radios to the architecture including LTE, 2G and 3G, and an wifi radio. They will also add a connection manager that will sit above those radios and decide which system should be accessed. For example, LTE for public safety will not be ubiquitous initially so the system can switch to a commercial cellular or LTE system. In the situation where there is no tower, they are developing a work-around using radios in a mesh mode. The project has settled on IMS [IP Multimedia Subsystem] architecture. The upper layer applications are push to talk for mission critical voice. System requirements have been developed by questioning public safety and include speed, preemption, security, priority, location information, and roaming. Their architecture is based on open standards and uses open source platforms. LTE was first introduced to the market with a focus on data. There was no priority to add voice. IMS was designed for voice, has features for hand off without losing the call, security, and QoS. They are working within current technologies and have developed a talk around mode, ivmesh [patent pending], a synchronous voice mesh. The handset uses standard off-the-shelf modules. To extend the range of , they planned to use the licensed 700 MHz but the FCC only allows LTE in those bands. Alternatives are white spaces or the unlicensed 900 MHz band. The public safety community needs a certification standard for handsets similar to GCF and PTCRB, she said. GCF is responsible for LTE conformance testing with the focus on European operators; PTCRB provides certification for North American operators. Public safety certification has unique certification requirements, for example: PTT-specific certification with the focus on priority and preemption features; infrastructure and talk around modes; seamless roaming among islands of public safety LTE networks and commercial 2G/3G/LTE networks; public safety security-related certification; and call management and voice call continuity (VCC) between infrastructure and talk around modes. The plans for the talk around mode include the ability to enable an extended range of talk around to establish an ad hoc network without a tower. The technology allows the radios to work through the mobile mesh network, where the nodes move around. The network is constantly reforming, with routing changes. The technology needs to ensure communications are not lost in that mobile network. Because voice packets are short packets with long gaps, the technology can reconstruct any lost voice packets. Comments: Chief McEwen complimented Ms. Minarsky on her understanding of public safety needs, but pointed out that NPSTC and its organizations has progressed farther in the discussion of public safety mission critical needs, suggesting that Octoscope would benefit from additional dialog with NPSTC before proceeding with its project. Mr. Buchanan noted that NPSTC had recently developed a definition of mission critical voice, suggesting he and Andy Thiessen, should have a conversation with her in the near future Regarding operation in the 700 MHz band, the FCC can be flexible and change its rules, he NPSTC Meeting Minutes September 2011 Page 4

5 said. Mr. Powell reiterated the importance of working with the user community. For example, the push to talk and latency times referred to in her presentation are slower than current LMR. Stacy Black, AT&T, asked if OctoScope had looked into the Open Mobile Alliance. Andy Seybold, Vice Chair, APCO Broadband Working Group, said the mission critical definition is done. The next step is to identify operational requirements based on the definitions. Mr. Sorley said he had not previously seen the use of mesh and for the talk around mode and asked why the company had not chosen P25. Ms. Minarsky said P25 is included in their radio but wifi is inexpensive and provides another option. Mr. Adams said solutions to problems will not be solved without thinking outside the box, commending Octoscope for their work. This is a research project which embodies new approaches to public safety issues. Greg Riddle, APCO, asked if the application for patents will make this project proprietary. Ms. Minarsky said the project uses open architecture and the patent is for software development. Stu Overby, Vice Chair, Spectrum Management Committee, asked who is funding the project. Ms. Minarsky said it is a DHS-funded project. Chief McEwen said the PSST is working with a variety of people on research and the biggest issue is coordinating the work, suggesting OctoScope coordinate better with the Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) program. David Kahn, Covia Labs, Inc. Mr. Kahn reported on another SBIR-funded research project on solutions for mission critical voice over LTE. Covia Labs had done most of its work with the Department of Defense (DoD). He noted the security work would interface well with public safety needs. He is seeking feedback from the public safety community. He reviewed the generally agreed upon high-level mission critical requirements and summarized the advantages of LTE and P25. LTE cell devices are low cost and lightweight. Soldiers are using them in the field. LTE has high data rates and is readily available and reliable, but the power is low, typically 0.5 watt. The LTE standard does support preemption. LTE has problems in-building and talk around does not exist. P25 has high power, can communicate through buildings, supports preemption, talk around, security, and is designed to meet the narrowband requirement. It is also expensive, with limited deployment, has low data rates, and voice reception is sensitive to noise. Next generation voice has to operate at least as well as LMR. It has to have a high-power transmitter. It has to be narrowbanded, according to the rules, must work with towers, support talk around, and be simple to use, not just in terms of technology, but ergonomics. Mr. Kahn said he is not sure mesh wifi would actually be able to satisfy public safety. Because broadband is low power, more towers are required. The Covia Labs project team concluded public safety may need to have two devices, a P25 radio and an LTE device. They could connect via a cable or exist in the same box. The system would provide automatic handoff from one system to the other. When a communication is generated, the system records a multi-media message file on the phone, which means that the message will get through even if connectivity is lost and that it can play back a communication. The device includes a geo tag and AES security. It is capable of serial bridging to connect to wifi, for example, which will improve the probability that a person will be heard. Synchronization keeps data up to date but also provides background for new joiners to the communications. NPSTC Meeting Minutes September 2011 Page 5

6 Comments: Ms. Minarsky clarified that the power of transmission in mesh is not either/or. Mesh was invented as a relay to extend the range. The more power in the mesh stations the farther the range. She also said standards-based approaches have a strong background of research to support it. Mr. Hall encouraged Mr. Kahn to get involved in public safety committees, saying the presentation didn t reflect the public safety perspective adequately. Jeff Bratcher, PSCR, provided some background on the NISTfunded SBIR project, saying that the presenters were seeking public safety feedback on these two research programs. Mr. Seybold asked what number of voice channels these projects would support in talk around mode. Mr. Kahn said when the connection is over LTE, the number of talk groups is almost unlimited, and over narrowband would be defined by P25. Mr. Sorley said both of the research projects are exciting and thanked the presenters for attending. D Block Update, Chief McEwen: Chief McEwen said the D Block legislation continues to be monitored on the Hill, where the issue has become somewhat lost in the deficit and budget discussions. The community is hoping it will be opened for floor discussion in the Senate, while the House is a much more complicated picture on both the majority and minority sides with the situation changing often. Regarding the PLMN [Public land mobile network] ID discussion, the ATIS IOC [Alliance for Telecommunication Industry Solutions] IOC (IMSI) Oversight Committee (International Mobile Subscriber Identities] had planned a meeting last week that would have issued a single PLMN ID for public safety. This single ID will be necessary for the nationwide public safety broadband network to move forward and to establish a basis for creating roaming agreements. The ATIS IOC call was cancelled unfortunately. Chief McEwen said the organization is in talks with other parties, which may affect their decisions. The decisions on the PLMN ID are important and will affect the eventual design of the network. APCO Broadband Working Group, Andy Seybold, Vice Chair: Mr. Seybold reported that the APCO Broadband Working Group was recently formed of public safety and industry representatives, and intends to work with NPSTC and others working on these issues. The Working Group provides recommendations to the APCO Board. APCO issued a statement in support of a single PLMN ID, submitted comments to the FCC on the Fourth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM), and reviewed and commented on NPSTC s mission critical voice definition. Their meetings are open and they welcome participation. The next steps are to develop a roadmap following NPSTC s mission critical voice definition. Mr. Seybold also reported on a recent test of a public safety network completed with the Cornerstone Network, Alameda County, California. The test run occurred during the weeks of April 11 and May 1, with more testing ongoing and a final report due September The tests were based on incidents with some drive testing, but primarily fixed-location testing. The tests were single cell sector only with no other network traffic. That is where incidents happen, Mr. Seybold said.tests were conducted near the cell center (0.5 miles from center), mid-coverage (1.5 miles from center), edge of cell (3.8 miles usable signal), and edge of cell (4.2 miles unusable signal). In the barricaded hostage situation, the system ran out of downlink and uplink capacity very quickly. At 20 MHz of spectrum, testers would have had enough spectrum to complete the scenarios. They were NPSTC Meeting Minutes September 2011 Page 6

7 not running priority or QoS. During the test they streamed five videos, but when they added the sixth, all stopped running, crashing the systems. Tests were conducted using mobile devices with external antennas. Results for handheld devices will be significantly worse. Tests were based on minimum response to the incidents, and increased numbers of first responders would cause more network overloading. These incidents are typical of daily events that occur on a routine basis in most metropolitan areas. Therefore 10 MHz of spectrum (5 MHz X 5 MHz) is not sufficient for public safety broadband use. Public safety needs the additional 10 MHz of spectrum known as the D Block and Congress needs to reallocate it to public safety, Mr. Seybold said. Mr. Seybold also noted he has been hearing from many officials who assume that they don t need to continue to invest in their LMR systems because they expect broadband will carry voice. He urged APCO and NPSTC to communicate the truth that LMR is needed and will be for some time to correct the misperceptions of public officials. Comments: Bob Speidel, Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), asked what the APCO Broadband Working Group will do regarding certification of broadband. Mr. Seybold said they ll investigate what the commercial vendors are doing. Mr. Riddle thanked Mr. Seybold for his efforts on the APCO Working Group, the Public Safety Alliance (PSA), and for his overall efforts on behalf of public safety. Mr. Buchanan asked Mr. Essid for clarification on the issue of voice over LTE. Mr. Essid said OEC is balancing the migration to broadband for the future while communicating the message that LMR voice is primary for public safety for some time. Mr. Sorley asked if OEC or OIC have developed any materials to set a realistic expectation for migration. Mr. Essid said the document is under review at DHS now and will be available. Dr. Boyd said the reality is public safety wants broadband but much of the faith in broadband is not based on technical understanding. There will not be enough spectrum in broadband to replace LMR voice, he cautioned. Mr. Buchanan recommended that the Board ask the BBWG to work with APCO s Broadband Working Group to develop documents to provide targeted outreach on this issue. Motion and Vote: Chief Caldwell moved that NPSTC s Broadband Working Group work with APCO s Broadband Working Group to develop documents to provide targeted outreach to emphasize that broadband is not a substitute for voice LMR. Bill Brownlow, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), seconded the motion. Passed. Preparation of Comments for NIST Broadband Document, Mr. Sorley: NIST is seeking input on various possible features of a new nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network. This input will be used by NIST to help determine research and development priorities in anticipation of the President s Wireless Innovation (WIN) Fund to help drive innovation of next-generation network technologies. In August 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) office held the National Forum on Public Safety Broadband Needs where public safety practitioners identified 15 operational requirements, each of which relate to four overarching themes: resiliency, availability and reliability, security, and affordability/commercial alignment. NPSTC Meeting Minutes September 2011 Page 7

8 Resiliency: The ability of operable systems to recover from mishap, change, misfortune, or variation in mission or operating requirements. Self-Organizing: Self-organizing networks dynamically manage their own configuration by automatically making changes to ensure messages reach their destinations. Meshing (ad hoc device-to-device communication): A type of networking where each node must not only capture and disseminate its own data, but also serve as a relay for other sensor nodes, that is, it must collaborate to propagate the data in the network. Adaptability: The ability of the network and/or device to modify/change behavior based upon external conditions. Prioritization: The ability to prioritize network traffic based on assigned priority schemes. Quality of Service (QoS): The set of standards and mechanisms for ensuring high-quality performance for critical applications. By using QoS mechanisms, network administrators can use existing resources efficiently and ensure the required level of service without reactively expanding or over provisioning their networks. The goal of QoS is to provide preferential delivery service for the applications that need it by ensuring sufficient bandwidth, controlling latency and jitter, and reducing data loss. Strong, Dynamic Access Control: Access control lists can be configured to control both inbound and outbound traffic on networks and authentication/ verification of users/devices on the network. The level of access control should be sufficient to allow for entree into a broad set of systems and databases needed by public safety (e.g., criminal history databases, medical records, public work records, etc.). Compatibility with commercial infrastructure: The utilization of a variety of commercial services when public safety is in areas not covered by the public safety broadband network. Network sharing: The shared use of infrastructure between commercial and public safety users. Multi-Modal: The ability of the network to support voice, video, data, and multimedia simultaneously. Scalability: The ability of a system, network, or process to handle growing amounts of work in a graceful manner or its ability to be enlarged to accommodate that growth. NIST is requesting input on the following: Assessment of the importance of the feature in relation to a nationwide public safety broadband network; Current gaps that exist preventing the realization of the full potential of the feature; Possible research and development that could take place to close any technical gaps; Any challenges that public safety could face in realizing the full potential of these features given currently implemented solutions; Best practices from other industries that could be leveraged to expedite public safety s realization of these key features. What is the importance of employing open standards for the nationwide public safety network? What is the need, if any, for commonality of functions across the system? What is the importance of a multi-vendor environment for the network and what are the lessons learned in deploying a multi-vendor environment from the cellular and other industries? NPSTC Meeting Minutes September 2011 Page 8

9 What can be done to ensure both short- and long-term affordability of the network for all types of public safety agencies? In a recent report, the President s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology suggested the need to develop methods for implementing a survivable core of cyber-infrastructure that would be relied upon to provide truly essential services in the event of a catastrophic cyber-attack. How should NIST pursue this recommendation, addressing whether the goal should be to design a separate survivable core that is integrated and interoperable with the primary public safety network, or instead to design the primary network such that it can reconstitute rapidly following a catastrophic event to achieve some core level of service? What is the marginal cost of the feature/functionality versus equipment available today? What network features or requirements have not been identified above, the lack of which may impair the network s ability to adequately serve the needs of public safety? How should NIST engage public safety practitioners and technologists as part of the planned R&D projects to ensure proper prioritization of efforts and effectiveness of developed solutions? Comments: Mr. Buchanan said NPSTC should concentrate its comments on the three areas the BBWG has focused on, which are the least defined requirements. Mr. Sorley agreed but noted that in earlier discussions the list of public safety requirements drove the potential cost of the network up. Mr. Buchanan said the areas that need research and development should be higher on the list. Joe Ross, Chair, Assessment of Future Spectrum and Technology (AFST) Working Group, said interoperability is not mentioned in the requirements at all. He also said that combining security and QoS is difficult and that standards will be needed. From an LTE perspective, relay will be important to public safety. John Contestabile, Chair, Video Technology Advisory Group (VTAG), said, in the case of video and GIS, large files can greatly affect the network, suggesting a focus on potential best practices for high volume applications that could crash the network. Mr. Sorley agreed that a holistic approach on the total performance of the network is important. Claudio Lucente, Centre for Security Science (CSC) Canada, said there is an operational support layer that automatically supports dynamic prioritization. Encouraging standards for connections will be important. Mr. Adams commented on the issue of certification of applications. Public safety needs to understand what apps are being placed on devices to guarantee the security of their data from uncertified applications. The military has developed a certified app. Mr. Powell reminded the group that systems will have to mesh with existing public safety systems. Mr. Seybold noted there is no reference to the architecture in the requirements document, which affects whether applications are interoperable as well. Action Item: Mr. Sorley said the Working Group will develop draft comments and send it to the Governing Board for review. Intrinsically Safe Radios Working Group, Paul Szoc Chief Szoc reported on the current work of the Intrinsically Safe Radio Working Group, developed to respond to issues surrounding a change in the intrinsically safe standard. Last fall, Factory Mutual (FM), a certification agency, announced they would changing their IS testing process and standard in accordance with international standards. The Working Group has been working on this issue since then NPSTC Meeting Minutes September 2011 Page 9

10 with TIA, FM, the International Society of Automation (ISA), and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). In January 2011, TIA created an engineering subcommittee (TR-8.21) to evaluate alternative solutions for operating radios in hazardous locations. In February 2011, FM agreed to grandfather products manufactured after January 1, 2012, if the model was validated prior to January 1, 2012 and no hardware changes that effect the intrinsic safety evaluation occurred. Any new products or major product changes would be required to be tested to FM s new standard. As of today, there have been no further communications with FM. Larry Nyberg, TIA, said the TR-8.21 considered looking at an ISA document, but rejected that because the ISA standard will be revised in 2 years, with more onerous power limits than the proposed FM revision. In June 2011, Underwriters Lab (UL) joined the TIA effort, offering its standard, UL 913.5, to TIA for consideration. This is close to the original FM standard that public safety has used to date with no problem. UL is extending this acceptable standard to They announced at the TR-8.21 meeting that they will continue to test to the UL standard if it is adopted and published by TIA. On October 19, TIA will meet and consider adopting UL TIA will republish the UL document under TIA s name. Marilyn Ward, Executive Director, NPSTC, asked if NPSTC should continue to have as active a role on this issue next year. Mr. Nyberg said other than interacting with his activities to complete this issue through TIA, there is no further requirement for involvement. Mr. Speidel said at some point the new standard needs to be communicated to OSHA. Mr. Hall praised NPSTC for its active leadership on the intrinsically safe issue. Motion and Vote: Mr. Mitchell moved that the Intrinsically Safe Issue become a monitoring topic in the Technology Committee. Mr. Brownlow seconded the motion. Passed. Radio Programming Compatibility Requirements, Pam Montanari, Co-Chair Ms. Montanari reported on the goal of this new Working Group, which is working to develop a standard interface for P25 radio programming software. The Working Group will develop requirements for a standard interface that will facilitate the programming and use of P25 radios used in interoperability situations or when working on another P25 system in other jurisdictions. Mr. Nyberg is working through P25; Ms. Montanari spoke on the issue at the APCO meeting; and Mr. Sorley is contacting local users to serve on the Working Group. Ms. Montanari will also be working with the Harris Users Group and with Industry Canada to gather input on a standard interface. A conference call is set for October 21 and they are eager to add more Working Group members. Video Technology Advisory Group (VTAG), John Contestabile, Chair Mr. Contestabile reported on the VTAG, created to provide advice and feedback to the DHS Video Quality in Public Safety (VQiPS) Working Group. VQiPS mission is to research, develop, and compile information necessary for people supporting the operations of public safety, physical security, and the homeland security enterprise in purchasing and utilizing the appropriate video technology to meet their needs. NPSTC Meeting Minutes September 2011 Page 10

11 VQiPS focuses on the quality of video and the factors that affect quality, and proposes standards and guidelines for agencies to specify systems that meet their needs. Mr. Contestabile said there is surprisingly little research or standards available for CCTV video. The PSCR is providing the technical expertise to DHS, guided by the advice of the VQiPS. To promote awareness of the video research effort and increase outreach to end users, VQiPS sought to partner with NPSTC. While PSCR provides the technical support, OIC the funding support, and VQiPS leadership direction, VTAG will provide advisory support. The VTAG is also able to look beyond video quality, expanding its advisory role to other issues such as interoperability and broadband. The VTAG had its first conference call on September 21, and was given a draft DHS report Video Quality Tests for Object Recognition Applications for comments and feedback, developed by the PSCR. It will provide some background on technical issues to the VTAG as well as an opportunity for the group to provide comments to PSCR. Steve Surfaro, VQiPS, has been working with ASIS, the security industry group, to develop a handbook on video quality in security settings. Mr. Contestabile expects a draft later this month that will be reviewed by the VQiPS and the VTAG. DHS hosts a VQiPS web tool to educate end users on the video system components. The tool provides recommendations for video technology based on use and these parameters: Usage timeframe, discrimination level, target size, motion, and lighting. VQiPS would like to strengthen the information available on the DHS web tool and is seeking information on individual components, types of radio encryption, specifications, etc. Mr. Buchanan said his city is in the process of setting up a video surveillance system and he had trouble finding some guiding documents. Mr. Contestabile said NPSTC has a VQiPS page with links to resources. PSWAC Follow Up: AFST Working Group, Joe Ross, Chair Mr. Ross reported on the accomplishments to date of the AFST Working Group, created to follow on the 1996 PSWAC Report to determine spectrum needs and technology, and operational requirements through the year Last summer the Operational Task Group distributed a questionnaire to public safety receiving well over 300 responses. Last fall, the Working Group hosted focus groups to expand the answers to the questionnaire and to develop metrics of spectrum usage through tabletop exercises. Barry Luke, NPSTC Support, discussed the synthesized results of the operations questionnaire from last year. Many of the identified barriers reflected concerns about funding and governance. Uncoordinated narrowbanding efforts were also a concern. Technology is not an issue; many agencies said their current technology meets their LMR needs. Training issues cause operability and interoperability issues. There are concerns about new interoperability issues regarding frequency shifts, for example, a neighbor agency moving from VHF to 700/800 MHz. Issues regarding capacity still remain, especially for VHF and following narrowbanding. There are ongoing issues with interoperability (needs are not being met for 55 percent of respondents) primarily due to funding and governance for narrowband voice. Several issues were identified that have existing technical solutions including encryption, paging, and text alerting over trunking, and radios that are unable to scan across trunked and conventional systems. Best practices are needed in some areas including tactical to wide-area communications transitions. Mutual aid solutions for major events are insufficient. Broadband capacity is a concern and is not well understood in some areas. There are concerns about direct mode broadband. Respondents desire for NPSTC Meeting Minutes September 2011 Page 11

12 in-building coverage ranged from 10 to 60 percent. NG 911 will dramatically change field operations and there were concerns about managing the flow of information. Respondents identified the need to develop application standards for interoperability. Mr. Luke said analysis of the focus groups demonstrated common needs. All the groups said video was critical to operations. Their responses discussed how they would use it. Mr. Luke said the expectations are exceeding what will be possible to provide. Comments: Joe Hanna, Directions, asked if the issue of video storage has been discussed including how many terabytes of storage an agency might require. Locally in Florida, Mr. Luke said the regional bus company wants to store the information from 500 buses for 30 days, noting that one bus alone has seven cameras. Mr. Buchanan said the Spectrum Task Group assumed that video would be stored at a central location like a dispatch center. Mr. Powell said continuously sending video from the field is an issue both in terms of bandwidth and who is watching it at the other end. He suggested it be stored in the car. Mr. Ross said that a distinction is needed between what is stored and what needs to be seen in real time. Incident commanders wanted to see video in real time to make tactical decisions. Mr. Contestabile said Johns Hopkins is doing a study of how to share video depending on the concept of operations. The owning agency sets the rules; if an agency records it, that agency must archive it. There is a schema for publishing and a four-level system of security. He agreed that end users do not understand systems well enough to ask the right questions, suggesting best practices are needed. David Warner, Chair, Narrowbanding Below 512 MHz Working Group, asked if there are any Freedom of Information Agency (FOIA) ramifications to video. Mr. Luke said video becomes part of any evidence subject to statutory exemptions. Chief McEwen noted all this information is valuable, but must be put in perspective, regarding what users want versus what they need. Mr. Ross said in the interviews, the respondents were asked, why do you want this application, to balance out the issue of need and want. Technology and Spectrum Task Group Reports: Mr. Ross discussed the technology findings and why public safety needs particular bands to meet their needs. A question often asked, for example, is: If public safety has 700 MHz, why do they need 4.9 GHz? Broadband 700 MHz and 4.9 GHz provide very different benefits and must be considered separately. The 4.9 GHz band is not viable for very large areas or in-building coverage, but 4.9 GHz has multiple uses complementary to 700 MHz, including point to point video, airborne video and IP, LTE backhaul, and hotspots. Together they can easily require all 50 MHz of spectrum In reviewing the PSWAC report on spectral efficiency for voice, the AFST WG felt the PSWAC Report was too aggressive in assuming 6.25 khz by There are multiple resources on spectral efficiency. The AFST model references the FCC s Capacity White Paper, 3GPP targets on cell edge, and International Telecommunications Union (ITU) papers on growth in spectral efficiency. The model looks at the throughput of the application, number of users, and how often applications are used. The initial model shows insufficient spectrum to support incidents, particularly at the cell edge. Broadband needs include: NPSTC Meeting Minutes September 2011 Page 12

13 Mission critical push to talk (PTT) over broadband, direct mode, PTT over IP standard, devices, coverage footprint, and mountain coverage. Cell edge spectral efficiency. Even with 20 MHz, initial models show insufficient spectrum to support incidents (excluding day-to-day activities). The biggest issue occurs at the cell edge where throughput is 30 percent of average levels. Need improvements to cell edge efficiency from LTE. Standards for applications to ensure interoperability. Multicast/broadcast enhancements. Spectrum models assume efficient multi-media transmission, need methods to capitalize on multicast/broadcast. Morgan Wright, Alcatel-Lucent, suggested that there would have to be consensus or voluntary standards for public safety and asked how that would be managed. Mr. Ross said that is not a goal of the report. Mr. Buchanan said the report will go to the Governing Board and if they make recommendations, it will filter down to the Working Groups to address. Mr. Buchanan said the initial results of the Spectrum Report will be distributed to the Working Group by October 7, The ITU model the Working Group used was derived from the ITU cellular model and updated to include narrowband voice. They modeled a separate narrowband VHF band due to its unique propagation. Mr. Buchanan is looking for feedback on other options. Keith Victor, Chair, ESF-2 Working Group, said firefighters in their area have used business channels that are available. The Spectrum Task Group modeled the four incidents from the broadband tabletop focus groups. The Houston incident spread the demand over two sectors out of two different cells. Spectral efficiency was average for the wild fire and all other scenarios used cell edge. The incidents represented 2015 demand. From there, the Working Group is looking at growth from 2015 to 2020 based on ITU growth for commercial broadband demand. The Working Group is determining backhaul and satellite needs. Mr. Ross said the Working Group will issue the full draft document for internal review next week, then issue it for public comment, and assemble the report by the end of the year. Ms. Ward reminded the member organizations to share the report with their members for review. Technology Committee Monitoring Topics TETRA: Mr. Sorley reported that TETRA has stated they have no interest in the public safety market. He also reported that NPSTC has had several inquiries about proprietary applications on P25 devices and the negative impact this has on interoperability. Governing Board Business, Ralph Haller International Membership Discussion, Manfred Blaha, President, Public Safety Communications Europe Mr. Haller reported that Manfred Blaha, on behalf of Public Safety Communications Europe (PSCE), contacted NPSTC with an interest in joining the organization. Reporting by teleconference, Mr. Blaha described how PSCE interfaces with public safety in Europe. PSCE is the result of a European Union (EU)- funded project. It is a non-profit organization, based in Brussels, established in 2009 under Belgian law. There are approximately 60 institutional members and 60 plus individual members, comprised of users, industry, and research. NPSTC Meeting Minutes September 2011 Page 13

14 PSCE s mission is to foster, through consensus building, excellence in the development and use of public safety communications and information management systems, to improve the provision of public safety services and the safety of the citizens of Europe and the rest of the world. Mr. Blaha said broadband requirements generally accepted in a EU workshop in March 2011 include dedicated harmonized spectrum, dedicated networks (partly shared infrastructure), shared networks option for public safety, governments, defense, and critical Infrastructure operators (electricity, gas, water, transport). Public safety broadband will be below 1 GHz. Open issues to be decided include technology choices, a harmonized EU, and the potential for cooperation worldwide. A Working Party of the European Council (Home and Justice Affairs) developed a set of public safety recommendations: Improved cross-border communications, a harmonized broadband technical solution, harmonized broadband frequency band(s), and inter-system interface. A matrix, European Set of Public Safety High-Speed Mobile Data Requirements based on existing studies from different EU countries, identifies operational scenarios, mission critical vs. non-mission critical and their priority. Mr. Blaha suggested the PSCE and NPSTC could work together to develop a common matrix of these requirements. PSCE lobbies the National Telecom Regulator Administrations, Council of Telecom Ministers, European Commission, and European Parliament on behalf of public safety communications. Mr. Blaha suggested that PSCE and NPSTC could work together to exchange best practices, requirements, cooperation in lobbying efforts, in international disaster interoperability, and to develop a common approach to national regulators such as ITU and WRC Mr. Powell said he talked with Mr. Blaha at the APCO conference and with representatives from BAPCO, and APCO Canada about this issue. This partnership could be an opportunity to coordinate efforts and harmonize handsets, infrastructure, and bands. Mr. Hall asked how PSCE proposes to attend NPSTC meetings. Mr. Blaha said each board member of PSCE is responsible for individual travel. Mr. Powell said face-to-face meetings could be coordinated with other meeting opportunities and at other times a conference bridge can be employed. The Governing Board vote was tabled until the next day s meeting. Special Presentations, Mr. Haller Outgoing Governing Board Member Recognition: Mr. Haller recognized Michael Hutton, NASF; William Nelson, IAFC; and Wayne Gallant, NASTD, thanking them for their service to public safety telecommunications. Outstanding Leadership Support Recognition: Mr. Haller presented Dr. Boyd with a token of the Governing Board s appreciation for his devotion to the cause of public safety communications. Mr. Haller presented Mr. Buchanan with a plaque recognizing his outstanding work on a number of complicated issues on behalf of public safety communications. Mr. Haller also recognized Gary Pasicznyk s work on the LightSquared/GPS interference issue and Charley Bryson s service to public safety through well-received daily outreach news blasts to NPSTC s members. NPSTC Meeting Minutes September 2011 Page 14

15 DeMello Award Recipient: Mr. Haller announced that this year s DeMello recipient is NPSTC s Executive Director, saying no one works harder than she does. Ms. Ward thanked the group for the recognition. Interoperability Committee, John Powell, Chair, and Pam Montanari, Vice Chair Canadian Interoperability Technology Interest Group (CITIG), Pam Montanari: Ms. Montanari reported she attended a CITIG workshop as a NPSTC representative. The participating organizations have developed a new vision and mission for CITIG that aligns with NPSTC s mission but reflects Canadian issues. They are developing an action plan, finding funding, and determining who will manage the organization. APCO, the Canadian Chiefs of Police, and Fire Chiefs are the agencies involved and will identify future leaders of the organization. CITIG also coordinates with Industry Canada and other Canadian governmental organizations. NECP Goal Three: Ms. Montanari reported her jurisdiction in Tampa, Florida, will serve as a beta site to test their communications for OEC s Goal Three testing when the Republican National Convention meets in Tampa next year. Wireless Innovation Forum (WinnF, formerly Software Defined Radio Forum) Update: Enabling Interoperability Workshop, September 15 Montreal, Canada, Terry LaValley: Mr. La Valley reported that he attended this event as a representative of NPSTC. The forum assembled the military, industry, regulators, and public safety to tackle the issue of interoperability. The issues are very similar across the borders. Public Safety Advisory Group and RFI, Fred Frantz, L3: Mr. Frantz reported that the Forum is seeking public safety advice. They initially explored the possibility of an advisory group, but decided instead to hold forums such as the Enabling Interoperability Workshop in Montreal to gather public safety feedback. WinnF will host a similar session at IWCE. Mr. Frantz said he welcomed suggestions for participation at other public safety events. WinnF has researched functional capabilities for various public safety scenarios such as a bomb in the London subway scenario. They are looking at the actual research now, determining how mature it is, and when it may be available. They issued a Request for Information (RFI) in August to gather that research, but they plan to reissue it to make it less complicated. Mr. Frantz encouraged NPSTC participants to review the RFI and provide feedback. Border Working Group, Terry LaValley, Chair Mr. LaValley said the focus continues to be on revising the Convention s language to allow first responders on the border to use each other s channels. The respective Canadian and U.S. organizations are still working on the official language changes. Mr. LaValley said Jennifer Wharram, Industry Canada, talked with him last week and reassured him that the effort is moving forward. Canadian and U.S. users are trying to develop a cross-border users group to discuss issues but it has been a slow start up. ESF-2 Working Group, Keith Victor, Chair Mr. Victor provided some background on the ESF-2 role in Connecticut, which will be the basis for the organization of this Working Group. Connecticut is one of the only states with no county governments. Public safety there has followed the ESF program and National Incident Management System (NIMS). NPSTC Meeting Minutes September 2011 Page 15