Canadian responders welcome 20 MHz guarantee

First responder organisations welcome the allocation of a second 10 MHz of the 700 MHz spectrum for public safety.

Once again, both Canadian and Australian responders faced critical communications issues when responding to major events in our countries. In Ottawa on 22 October and in Sydney on 15 and 16 December 2014, police, security, paramedics and associated agencies responded to acts of violence that challenged their abilities to share information in a timely fashion. In both cases, the after-action reports are still being developed but I’m confident that, as always, recommendations on ways to improve information sharing will be forthcoming.

The good news, at least in Canada, is that the combined efforts of a wide range of public safety, government and industry partners over the past five years has now resulted in a major announcement from the Canadian government relating to ‘Improving Public Safety Communications’.

On 23 April, as part of its 2015 federal budget, the Canadian government announced that it was setting aside a second 10 MHz of the 700 MHz spectrum to “… enable the creation of a Public Safety Broadband Network, a high-speed mobile network dedicated to emergency management”.

Specifically, the budget stated:

“Economic Action Plan 2015 proposes to provide $3 million over two years, starting in 2016-17, to take initial steps to establish a Public Safety Broadband Network, a high‑speed mobile network dedicated to emergency management.

Communication tools used by fire, police and ambulance services in Canada limit their ability to exchange information with one another and communicate across jurisdictions during an emergency. The Government is committed to working with provinces, territories, municipalities and the public safety community so that first responders have access to the latest communication technologies.

The Government has already allocated 10 megahertz (MHz) of the highly valued 700 MHz broadband spectrum for public safety communications. The Government will allocate another 10 MHz of the 700 MHz spectrum to enable the creation of a Public Safety Broadband Network, a high-speed mobile network dedicated to emergency management. The Government will also provide $3 million over two years, starting in 2016-17, to take initial steps to establish the network. This investment will improve collaboration among public safety agencies to help save lives and keep our communities safe.”

In a joint press release from the Canadian Associations of Chiefs of Police, Fire and Paramedics, Chief Clive Weighill, President of the Chiefs of Police Association, stated:

“We join our first-responder partners in congratulating the Government of Canada’s commitment to allocate a full 20 MHz of the 700 MHz spectrum enabling the creation of a Public Safety Broadband Network. We are also highly appreciative of the $3m investment towards its establishment. This network will significantly contribute towards supporting mission-critical emergency management communications and interoperability between responders throughout North America. Coordinated public safety services in emergency situations will ultimately save lives.”

Action 700 effort launched in 2010

Critical Comms readers will recall (‘Future is bright for public safety interoperability’) that the Canadian Interoperability Technology Interest Group (www.citig.ca) first announced its intention, on behalf of the Canadian Associations of Chiefs of Police, Fire and Paramedics, to seek the same 20 MHz of 700 MHz spectrum that US-based responders, now known as FirstNet, wanted set aside for their use.

At the time, many industry analysts had questions regarding the ability of responders to create an effective coalition on the issue of public safety broadband via CITIG’s ‘Action 700’ Program (www.action700.ca). However, after the Government of Canada set aside the first 10 MHz in 2012, and after the US government created FirstNet (firstnet.gov), also in 2012, the momentum was building for a similar 20 MHz public safety broadband capability in Canada.

Similar capabilities, different approaches

While the overall capability will be very similar between the United States and Canada, the approaches are very different. Canada’s governance, funding model and strategic approach will, as one would expect from a federal, provincial (state) and territorial constitutional construct, be based on a ‘system of systems’ approach. The Canadian vision, as first developed during a workshop held in Montreal in 2012, is:

“To establish a fully operational network delivering nationwide, interoperable, end-to-end broadband data communications services to the Canadian public safety community.”

One of the key differences between the approaches relates to the all-important issue of governance. Attendees at the ‘Montreal workshop’ recommended that a new, not-for-profit corporation would need to be created with representation on the board of directors from all levels of government and responders. The Chiefs Associations and CITIG are advocating that, in part, the CA$3 million announced in the budget (over two years) be assigned to assist with the creation and standing up of this entity.

Conclusion

While hundreds of Canadian, US and international public safety, government and industry leaders have been working collaboratively for almost five years, the real work is now just beginning.

This initiative has been called “the largest public safety information and communications technology project in Canadian history”. The wireless ‘right of way’ has now been laid; now we need to roll up our sleeves and get to work building this exciting Canadian public safety broadband network!

Inspector (Ret.) Lance Valcour O.O.M. is the Chair of the Law Enforcement Information Management Section of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He will lead a workshop on ‘Next-generation public safety capabilities’ at the Comms Connect conference in Sydney on 3-4 June.