July 24, 2007 06:41 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Twisted Pair Calls New Grant Funding Rules a Breakthrough for Responder and Technology Interoperability
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In its recently published Program Guidance and Application Kit entitled ‘Public Safety Interoperable Communications Grant Program’ the US Departments of Homeland Security and Commerce have stated that advanced technologies such as IP-based software solutions should be considered when requesting funds for State interoperability plans and that fund requests should not be limited to the purchase of new radios.
With $1 billion of Congress appropriated funds available this year for State interoperability projects, the new grant guidelines will allow more States and more emergency responders to achieve technology and communications interoperability, thanks primarily to the greater flexibility and significantly lower cost of deploying IP-based software solutions.
“Improved rules for the $1 billion Public Safety Interoperable Communications program represent a real breakthrough and create major opportunities for States to achieve broader technology and user interoperability while using their current radio systems if they so choose,” said Tom Guthrie, President and CEO, of Twisted Pair Solutions.
“Instead of viewing radio interoperability as the sole solution among emergency responders, the government has broadened the scope of technology solutions and expanded the required reach of interoperability to include groups such as NGOs, the US military and National Guard. That’s a major advantage to States that see the benefit of broader group communications but have been concerned with the often prohibitive cost of new digital radio systems.”
Twisted Pair Solutions has been a vocal proponent of including software solutions in government interoperability guidelines. Its WAVETM unified group communications software is already a widely deployed interoperability solution in defense, public safety, transportation and financial markets and offers a significantly greater value to government than radio-only solutions.
In the past, DHS communications grants have focused almost exclusively on buying entirely new radio systems. This new ruling emphasize that state plans and expenditures must consider advanced technology, such as radio over internet protocol, include a much wider group of emergency responders, and be cost effective.
According to Rick Shaffer, Marketing Director for Reston, VA based Global InfoTek, Inc., a developer of innovative and cost-effective communication interoperability solutions and a Twisted Pair OEM partner; the new rules show the sponsoring federal agencies clearly recognize the many advantages that software solutions offer.
He said: “It is gratifying to see government leaders grasp how software technology can cost effectively address the pervasive problem of radio interoperability, immediately and not over the next decade. It will take a long time for new systems in the 700 MHz spectrum to be operational, and even then there will be multiple radio systems on different frequencies that will need to interoperate. Both of these factors underline the need for States to acquire the ability to dynamically link systems with internet protocol software tools like WAVE, in addition to buying new systems.”
David Billstrom, CEO of National Interop, a systems integrator and consultancy on interoperability issues, and a Twisted Pair OEM partner, thinks the $1 billion grant program is perfectly timed. "Despite strong support in Congress and diligent work by many states over the past five years, many local jurisdictions still need interoperability and they need it without buying new radios. The emphasis by DHS and DOC on utilizing new technologies such as Radio-over-IP means that we can address the top priority -- improving the safety of public safety personnel by interconnecting the radios they already have."
Billstrom testified in the U.S. Senate in February 2007 on the same message, when the grant program was the subject of the Senate's Commerce Committee hearing. He adds, “We’re looking at the ‘perfect storm’ for interoperability: a jolt of funding outside and in addition to the usual federal grants; a report by the GAO saying the first $2.1 billion in funding hasn’t delivered as much interoperability as hoped and a bunch of new technologies, all of which add up to a great opportunity for the public safety community and the public they serve.”
Twisted Pair Solutions’ WAVETM unified group communications software provides an open, device-independent, standards-based approach to interoperability. Instead of buying new radio systems, users can continue to operate their existing radio systems and seamlessly integrate a multitude of other radio, IP and telephony technologies.
About Twisted Pair Solutions, Inc.
Twisted Pair Solutions, Inc. designs and builds enterprise software solutions that enable interoperable group communications. Our WAVE software manages real-time, secure, group communications over the IP network, linking in people and devices. The application suite serves an unlimited variety of devices including radios, personal computers, cell phones, and IP phones and allows previously incompatible systems to work together seamlessly. In addition, Twisted Pair’s management server capabilities enable robust device and user management leveraging IP as the protocol of choice for open, reliable and highly scaleable communications. Twisted Pair Solutions is headquartered in Seattle, Washington USA with offices in the Netherlands, UK and Australia. Visit us at www.twistpair.com