News media Information 202 / 418-0500 Fax-On-Demand 202 / 418-2830 Federal Communications Commission 1919 - M Street, N.W. Washington, D. C. 20554 National Telecommunications and Information Administration Department of Commerce Washington, D.C. 20230 September 20, 1996 PUBLIC SAFETY WIRELESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE APPROVES F INAL REPORT On September 16, 1996, the Public Safety Wireless Advisory Committee (PSWAC) presented its Final Report to Reed E. Hundt, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Larry Irving, Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and Administrator, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Department of Commerce. The PSWAC was established last June by the FCC and NTIA to advise on the operational, technical and spectrum requirements of Federal, state and local public safety entities through the year 2010. The PSWAC Final Report contains the findings and recommendations of the Steering Committee and summaries of the five Subcommittee Final Reports (Operational Requirements, Technology, Transition, Interoperability, and Spectrum Requirements). The full Subcommittees' Reports are annexed to the Final Report. The Final Report represents the public safety community's best efforts to define and document its critical communications requirements and the spectrum necessary to support them -- now and through the year 2010. The Report was submitted as comments in the rulemaking proceeding initiated by the Commission seeking comment regarding present deficiencies in public safety wireless communications, and spectrum needs for public safety purposes. See The Development of Operational, Technical, and Spectrum Requirements for Meeting Federal, State and Local Public Safety Agency Communication Requirements Through the Year 2010, WT Docket No. 96-86, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 96-155, released Apr. 10, 1996. Philip L. Verveer, a partner in the Washington office of Willkie Farr & Gallagher served as Chair of the Advisory Committee. In his closing remarks, Mr. Verveer acknowledged the "...substantial voluntary efforts of hundreds of Federal, state, and local public safety officials and the very generous contributions by the distinguished members of the Steering Committee and their alternates." Members of the PSWAC Steering Committee included Louis J. Freeh, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Raymond W. Kelly, Under Secretary for Enforcement, Department of the Treasury; Alan D. Bersin, United States Attorney, Southern District of California; Howard Safir, Police Commissioner, City of New York; Michael Freeman, Fire Chief, Los Angeles County; Steve Proctor, Director of Telecommunications and former president of the Association of Public-safety Communications Officials International, Inc., State of Utah; Cindy Raiford, Assistant Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense; Harlin R. McEwen, Deputy Assistant Director, Criminal Justice Information Services Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Dennis C. Connors, Vice President of Marketing and Engineering, Private Radio Systems, Ericsson, Inc.; and Fred Kuznik, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Land Mobile Products, Motorola, Inc. Mr. Verveer also thanked the Final Report drafting committee which consisted of Michael Amarosa, New York City Deputy Police Commissioner; Raymond Barnett, U.S. Secret Service, Department of Treasury; and Steven Proctor, State of Utah and former president of the Association of Public-safety Communications Officials International, Inc. Mr. Verveer credited the five Subcommittees of the PSWAC, "led by individuals who have dedicated their professional lives to the application of technology to public safety" with accomplishing most of the Committee's extensive work program. In his remarks, FCC Chairman Reed Hundt expressed his personal appreciation for the hard work of the Committee members and stressed the importance and timeliness of the Final Report, particularly in light of the significant spectrum allocation decisions faced by the Commission at this time. NTIA Administrator Larry Irving praised the participants for their extensive work, proclaiming that there is "no higher calling than public safety" and noting the extraordinary effort by those tasked with preparing the PSWAC Final Report. The PSWAC Final Report is formatted into two volumes. Volume I contains the main body of the report including summaries of the Subcommittee reports and is approximately 70 pages. Volume II contains the full text of the subcommittee reports along with their supporting documents and is over 650 pages. Copies of Volume I plus a CD-ROM containing the whole text will be mailed to the nearly 500 members of the Public Safety Wireless Advisory Committee. Both volumes are available for downloading via Internet on the PSWAC Homepage (http:\\pswac.ntia.doc.gov) and on the FCC Homepage (http:\\www.fcc.gov). The PSWAC Final Report is available for public inspection and may be viewed at the FCC Reference Room 230 at 1919 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. Copies are available in print and on CD-ROM and can be purchased by contacting Mr. Wilbur Thomas of the Federal Communications Commission's duplicating contractor, International Transcription Service (ITS) at (202) 857-3800. Requests should indicate PSWAC Final Report filed as comments in WT Docket No. 96-86; and note Volume I and/or Volume II, paper and/or CD-ROM. - FCC/NTIA - Federal Communications Commission contact: Joy Alford or Kathryn Hosford at (202) 418-0680 or Kara Palamaras, FCC News Media at (202) 418-0654. National Telecommunications and Information Administration contact: William Donald Speights at (202) 482-1652 or Paige Darden, NTIA Public Affairs at (202) 482-1551.