DoD STEPS UP PRESSURE ON INDUSTRY FOR WIRELESS PRIORITY ACCESS
Dept. of Defense (DoD) is continuing to press wireless industry for ideas on how to best provide nation’s public safety agencies with uninterrupted access to wireless networks during emergencies, Air Force Lt. Gen. Harry Raduege said at MILCOM conference in Vienna, Va., Tues. Raduege, who is dir. of Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and mgr. of National Communications System (NCS), stopped short of saying Pentagon would push for mandatory wireless priority access. However, he said prioritizing such access -- which already is mandated for wireline service providers -- “has come to the forefront of national leaders’ concerns.”
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
Raduege has sent letters to industry leaders, including those who serve on President’s National Security Telecom Advisory Committee (NSTAC), asking for ideas on how wireless industry can make this “a national priority.” He said he requested private sector input on how carriers might provide “immediate capability” to public safety agencies as well as “long-term plan that will provide wireless priority access across the [U.S.].” He also said he had attended meetings with National Security Council to discuss issue in wake of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks: “It’s been an exceptionally busy time at DISA… in light of recent events.”
Industry will be able to provide wireless priority access to about 500 national security personnel within 2 months (CD Oct 18 p3) and to 50,000 by year-end, CTIA has said recently. Although industry is willing to work with Administration on issue, carriers remain concerned that implementation of “ruthless preemption” risked interfering with ability of wireless callers to get through to 911, CTIA Pres. Tom Wheeler told Congress (CD Oct 17 p1). FCC last year adopted rules on wireless priority access, but didn’t impose mandate on carriers.
Raduege praised overall communications sector for its work in providing immediate emergency service and subsequent recovery efforts stemming from Sept. 11 attacks. Telecom Service Priority System played vital role in enabling N.Y. Stock Exchange to open for business within week of World Trade Center disaster: “I'm very proud of how government and industry worked together to make this happen.”
DISA is continuing “transformational change” to better address defense voice, video and data needs, he said. Although modernization process “started long before” Sept. 11, DISA personnel have stepped up their efforts to develop framework for military’s “global information grid” (GIG). DoD’s evolving “infostructure” program focuses on developing interoperability among Defense’s information technology users and high-tech components, “from sensor to shooter to decision maker,” Raduege said. GIG’s communications segment will include development of interoperability that extends from military bases “through strategic networks” and to armed forces worldwide. He said telecom component of international network envisioned by DoD would rely on combination of commercial and military assets, from long-haul and satellite communications systems to teleports and commercial fiber links.
Mitre Corp. is assisting Pentagon in achieving goal of “single secure infrastructure providing seamless end-to-end [communications] capabilities to all warfighters,” Mitre’s Brian White said in MILCOM tutorial. He said that to carry out “network-centric vision,” DoD must “clone the commercial growth of the Internet,” using Internet protocol (IP) standard as its common network protocol. Although “military has some needs that the commercial world isn’t providing,” such as “autonomous global control” of its communications, he said Pentagon must “exploit industry’s heavy investment” in: (1) Communications services. (2) Wireless IP connectivity to Internet. (3) Use of available spectrum.