Sources say DHS will be flexible on interoperability grants
With $1 billion soon to be unleashed, DHS says it will support the unfavored 800 MHz band; NTIA argues grants can only be used for technology and equipment
It will not be long now. Washington Technology reported last week that DHS is almost ready to release the details of its long-awaited plan to allocate $1 billion in radio interoperability funds for development of the 700 MHz emergency radio band. Yet although no final decisions have been made, officials say that on one particular issue — how to deal with states such as Pennsylvania that have already made significant investment in the 800 MHz band — the government intends to act flexibily. “We believe it’s important to support interoperability beyond 700 MHz to ensure we can meet public safety agencies’ unique requirements,” assistant secretary Corey Gruber told Congress by way of saying that the 800 MHz band would be funded.
Of course, all grants will have to follow the established procedure: awards will be allocated based on a modified version of the department’s 2007 risk methodology. Most of the money, the agency says, will go to support equipment and technology purchases. “Our reading is that it would not include the funding of large-scale plans
