NTIA contracts DHS to handle public-safety grant program

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Commerce subcommittee on oversight and investigations, accused the National Telecommunications and Information Administration of surrendering control of a $1 billion first-responder wireless grant program to another agency that recently told Congress the Sept. 30 deadline for grant awards will not be met.
“It appears that NTIA, the agency that Congress thought was best equipped to handle public-safety communications interoperability and to manage the public-safety spectrum, is abdicating its responsibility to the Department of Homeland Security, which, as we saw during Hurricane Katrina, has a poor track record,” Stupak said.
The Memorandum of Understanding between the Commerce Department’s NTIA and DHS grew out of 2005 legislation to set aside $1 billion from the upcoming 700 MHz auction for public-safety interoperability upgrades.
“The MoU explains our roles, and that we are contracting for the DHS Office of Grants and Training services. The first responders around the nation are very familiar with the DHS Office of Grants and Training so it’s a wise use of time, effort and money to use services that first responders know and understand. This does not equate to turning over the grant program to DHS,” NTIA said.
The MoU, among other things, has NTIA transferring to DHS $989 million to manage the public-safety interoperability grant program. Of that total, $959 million will be used for public-safety grants and $30 million for management and administrative services. NTIA appears to be largely limited to an advisory role, even though Congress put it in charge of the program.
“Congress created the Public Safety Interoperable Communications Grant Program with two goals: to advance new approaches for interoperable communications and to direct new funding towards interoperability. It is clear from this MoU and from the administration’s budget request that the administration is ignoring Congress’ intent and accomplishing neither of these goals,” stated Stupak.
Lawmakers have criticized NTIA and DHS over delays in getting the public-safety program off the ground. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who said much of the country lacks robust public-safety interoperability more than five years after terrorists attacks that highlighted fatal communications breakdowns, has vowed to have the problem fixed nationwide by 2008.
However, Chertoff told lawmakers the Bush administration will miss Sept. 30 deadline for getting public-safety interoperability grants out the door to cities and states.
Stupak promised to put NTIA’s activities under the microscope.
“The brave first responders who risk their lives to protect the rest of us deserve better and I will hold the administration accountable. This MoU confirms that there is a need to review the operations and capabilities of the Department of Commerce in general and NTIA, in particular.”
The NTIA-DHS pact tends to emphasize public-safety spectrum that has yet to get into the hands of police, firefighters and medics, with the agencies stating that “deployment of, or training for the use of interoperable communications systems that can utilize reallocated public-safety spectrum in the 700 MHz band for radio communication.” House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and ranking member Peter King (R-N.Y.) earlier this month told Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez that grants should not be limited to 700 MHz.