"As a United States Senator
and as Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology and
Space, I've spent a lot of time since September 11 looking at this
nation's response to the terrorist attacks and at our readiness
to respond to another assault. Firefighters, police and first responders
from all over the country have convinced me that strengthening the
structure of our public safety communications systems today may
literally save American lives tomorrow.
"I've been involved in 911 issues for
much of my time in the U.S. Senate. In 1999 I teamed up with Senator
Burns to pass the Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act.
Our legislation established 911 as the universal emergency telephone
number in the United States. Senator Burns and I also called for
coordinated federal, state, and local efforts to implement wireless
E-911.
"The events of September 11 only reinforced
my conviction that this country's wireless users need E-911, and
they need it now. On that day, cell phones and text messaging were
a crucial communications link. Many landline facilities were destroyed
or went down.
"That was an extraordinary circumstance,
but emergencies on a smaller scale happen every day. More than 30
percent of 911 calls are made from cell phones. Only in communities
with the added capability of E-911 can operators pinpoint those
callers' locations automatically, and send the right help to the
right place – right away.
"Last week I was proud to be in my home
state of Oregon, where Enhanced 911, or E-911, technology reached
the West for the first time. Thanks to Edge Wireless and Airbiquity,
911 operators in a rural four-county area are be able to pinpoint
the location of a person calling 911 from a mobile phone, from wherever
they call.
"The fact that these Oregon counties
rolled out this technology in May of 2002 is important for several
reasons. Just last October the FCC agreed to requests by the nation's
wireless carriers to extend a deadline to have 911 location technology
up and running. Now some companies have until 2003, some until 2004
to start implementing Phase II.
"This rollout proves that rural areas
can lead the way in the E-911 effort. I believe Oregon can be a
model for the nation – particularly for rural areas – in making
E-911 a reality. They are also showing how cooperation between private
interests and state and local governments can dramatically improve
public safety.
"Last October at a Senate hearing on
E-911 technology, I urged wireless companies to get together with
the public safety community and not just meet their new deadlines,
but beat them. Folks in my state have proved that a rollout of Phase
II technology can be done sooner rather than later.
"In my view, it is absolutely essential
that this country move quickly to marshal the best technology available
against terrorism. Since September 11, my Subcommittee has held
four hearings on ways to mobilize America's science and technology
experts in this fight. A number of good ideas have come out of the
hearings. One was the creation of a volunteer corps of technology
experts – the National Emergency Technology Guard, or NET Guard.
This volunteer force would be ready to arrive on the ground at a
moment's notice and deal with technology challenges at disaster
sites. I have already introduced bipartisan legislation to create
that NET Guard. I am proud to report that this bill has been reported
favorably by the Senate Commerce Committee and is on its way to
the floor of the Senate this summer.
"All of you knew long before September
11, the problems posed by communications difficulties in a crisis.
Before last fall's attacks, though, issues like achieving interoperability
weren't very high on the list for most lawmakers. I'll confess that
I was not aware of the communications challenges you face until
they became so apparent in New York and Virginia. But I'll tell
you – Washington was shaken into awareness in the worst possible
way.
"A fire chief from Northern Virginia
testified to my technology subcommittee that on September 11, he
literally had people running handwritten notes around at the Pentagon.
That was his most dependable form of communication. That really
struck me: here on the East Coast of the United States, arguably
the world's greatest high-tech communications corridor, tin cans
and string would have been an improvement. The communications systems
of our folks on the front lines were all but useless when seconds
counted to save lives.
"Federal Emergency Management Agency
Director Joe Allbaugh was a witness at that same hearing. He testified
that achieving interoperability for public safety communications
systems would make the biggest difference in our ability to respond
to crises.
"I believe there are two components
to successfully achieving interoperability: the application of technology,
and cooperation between agencies.
"Of course, the technologies to achieve
interoperability exist today. Since September 11, the federal government
and local response agencies have been inundated with ideas from
the nation's technology sector. Their innovations cover every possible
aspect of disaster response. Software technologies can actually
change the setup of communications systems on short notice. They
can enhance interoperability when it's needed most, and minimize
interference when it's not.
"The best new disaster response technologies
must not get trapped in a Federal employee's in-box. They can't
be awaiting review while lives are on the line. So my bipartisan
legislation also creates a Center for Civilian Technology Evalution.
This center will establish an online portal, where any any technology
expert or entrepreneur can get ideas to the right federal agency
for consideration.
"The next piece of the puzzle is helping
local response agencies acquire and apply these technologies. For
this reason, my bill also provides $35 million for seven grants.
The grants will provide the "seed money" for states working to launch
innovative interoperability projects.
"I don't want a one-size-fits-all solution
for local responders. These pilot projects will be a breeding ground
for fresh ideas from folks on the front lines. Police, fire and
medical first responders will get the technology they need and find
new ways to integrate their systems. I believe these pilot projects
will develop a variety of useful models for interoperability.
"But a key component to the success
of these projects will not have much to do with technology at all.
Leaders at local agencies will have to look beyond their own narrow
jurisdictional concerns. The capability of the entire first-response
community will have to be considered.
"Most communities can't fork over enormous
amounts of money to outfit local agencies with new communications
systems. Bridges will have to be built between existing technologies.
Cooperation between agencies will be essential.
"Police, fire and emergency medical
personnel didn't operate in vacuums before September 11. These agencies
work together all the time. But achieving the kind of interoperability
that a major disaster needs will require real collaboration in advance.
"Let me give you an example of the kind
of forward thinking I want to encourage – and the kind of collaboration
that must be done. The Senate Intelligence Committee has just approved
my legislation, creating a terrorist tracking system in the Federal
government. It requires that America's intelligence agencies enter
information about known and suspected terrorists or terrorist groups
into a central database. The database will be available across the
spectrum of intelligence and law enforcement agencies – right down
to the local level.
"I won't give you the lecture about
the need for this collaborative tracking system. That's all too
clear in the daily news, where the FBI and the CIA are fighting
it out over whose fault all these intelligence failures are. But
I will say that I can't believe it took nine months and a bill in
Congress to get the ball rolling on information sharing.
"One of the key requirements for this
database is that it be built with an eye to interoperability. The
Director of Central Intelligence must make this new terror-fighting
tool accessible through the systems local communities already have.
This terror-tracking plan won't work if local folks have to struggle
to access it. Interoperability must be a component of its planning
– and cooperation between agencies is the only way it will work.
"September 11 ushered in a new day for
first responders in this country. Police and firefighters and medical
workers started getting the recognition they deserved, but the level
of responsibility for these agencies also increased tenfold. Applying
the lessons of September 11 now is essential. It will not be easy.
But I want to assure you of my support, and the support of my colleagues,
for the important work that you do. Working together, we can help
first responders work together better when lives are on the line.
I thank you for your invitation to speak today."
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