Michael Paddock Funding Wireless Subscribe to Newsletter Tell a Friend Print this Page 10/04/2007 Interoperability Grants — An Opportunity for Tomorrow, If You Know Where to Look Today! The Public Safety Interoperable Communications Grants are making their way to the states, and states are preparing to pass them through to local public-safety agencies. Simple, right? Not so fast. The Department of Commerce, which controls the funding for the program, has left it largely to the states to decide what interoperable communications means to them and how best to effect it. Consequently, each state is defining interoperability (and even communications) differently. Add to that the fact that each state has a different idea of what constitutes "pass-through," and you have a fairly complex landscape. The bottom line, though, is that for local and regional organizations and municipal agencies involved in emergency response, this billion-dollar program will provide a significant opportunity to build out IP-based communications interoperability that can use, justify, and help pay for a citywide wireless network. If you're even thinking about IP-based voice, video, and data communication, this one-time only program may be your chance to put it in place. There are a few things to keep in mind as you consider how to go about obtaining these funds. The State Administrative Agency (SAA), the same agency that controls the Homeland Security Funds, will administer these funds within each state. Most SAAs have (or will) set a deadline for applications within the state, to allow individual or groups of public-safety agencies to describe what they deem appropriate to improve their regional interoperability. Here's where wireless Internet comes in. If the communication is IP-based or runs IP-based applications off the city's network, the grant can fund the application and a reasonable portion of the infrastructure that application needs to operate effectively. It's not an infrastructure grant, but like other grant programs that support the municipal wireless buildout, it supports the application completely (minus a 20-percent matching requirement) and the infrastructure partially. The grant can also be coordinated with communications activities funded by the Hospital Preparedness Program and Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program, both pass-through grants that are also being administered right now. Together, these programs represent a $2.2-billion dollar opportunity, and the spending decisions for all that money will be completed by the end of the year. Grants Office will be hosting a Webcast on the PSIC grants on October 17 to discuss state-by state administration of the funds. You can register for the event at https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/490984950. It's a good idea to begin immediately looking into your state's process, however, as deadlines have been coming and going for the past month. Oklahoma's deadline was mid-September, and Georgia's will be next week. Connecticut, South Carolina, and Oregon haven't released anything yet, so those of you in those states will have time. One last consideration that makes this grant worth looking into now: It's a one-time-only opportunity. Although additional interoperability funds may come down in future years, this billion-dollar program, funded through the auction of some recently vacated wireless spectrum, will not be repeated. You can check out the official NTIA Web site for more information about the program, or the unofficial Web site at for a state-specific breakdown on what's happening with these funds. If there is a particular grant program you feel has helped you build your wireless community or you would like to see a specific topic covered, just add a comment or e-mail me at mpaddock@grantsoffice.com, with “Funding Wireless” in the subject line. back Related Items: • Johannesburg, South Africa • W2i Finalizes Digital Cities Joint State Briefing Program in Riverside, California • Houston's Wi-Fi Deal with EarthLink Fades • Do Ubiquitous Networks Lead to Ubiquitous Surveillance? • 4th Digital Inclusion Roundtable: Summary • Riverside `08 Comments No records were found. Post new comment: Only registered users can add comments. Please Log-in

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