Upkeep Of Security Devices A Burden

[tbyg52]

Source: Washington Post

In 2003, the FBI used a $25 million grant to give bomb squads across the nation state-of-the-art computer kits, enabling them to instantly share information about suspected explosives, including weapons of mass destruction.

Four years later, half of the Washington area's squads can't communicate via the $12,000 kits, meant to be taken to the scene of potential catastrophes, because they didn't pick up the monthly wireless bills and maintenance costs initially paid by the FBI. Other squads across the country also have given up using them.

"They worked, and it was a good idea -- until the subscription ran out," said Mike Love, who oversees the bomb squad in Montgomery County's fire department. At the local level, he said, "there is not budget money for it."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/12/AR2007081201244.html?hpid=topnews

[rodeodance]

1. everything seems good when the TERROR button is pushed and FEAR reigns

[Trillo]

2. another money-concentrating scam.

Let me see if I understand this.

• We collectively own the airwaves.


• The FCC auctions bands of frequencies off to corporate entities supposedly for our collective benefit through product innovation enabled by the profit incentive.


• In this particular case, the corporations then charge the local governments to use these 'emergency' airwaves, so we end up paying the corporations to use what we collectively owned in the first place.

Seems like another money-concentrating scam. But I could be wrong. Telcos seem at the center, though they're not specifically named in the article.

Why does the government reserve some 'emergency' frequencies for special uses such as military and police? Have those also all been auctioned off?

[tbyg52]

3. I don't understand this auction thing

From the sound of it, the frequencies are actually *sold*? If so, that's just not right. They should be given for community service or leased. Only. Because they belong to we the people. Yeah, like that matters lately.....

[Trillo]

4. The "official" description

Since 1994, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has conducted auctions of licenses for electromagnetic spectrum. These auctions are open to any eligible company or individual that submits an application and upfront payment, and is found to be a qualified bidder by the Commission.

FCC auctions are conducted electronically and are accessible over the Internet. Thus, qualified bidders can place bids from the comfort of their home or office. Further, anyone with access to a computer with a web browser can follow the progress of an auction and view the results of each round.

In 1993 Congress passed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, which gave the Commission authority to use competitive bidding to choose from among two or more mutually exclusive applications for an initial license. Prior to this historic legislation, the Commission mainly relied upon comparative hearings and lotteries to select a single licensee from a pool of mutually exclusive applicants for a license. The Commission has found that spectrum auctions more effectively assign licenses than either comparative hearings or lotteries. The auction approach is intended to award the licenses to those who will use them most effectively. Additionally, by using auctions, the Commission has reduced the average time from initial application to license grant to less than one year, and the public is now receiving the direct financial benefit from the award of licenses.

In the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, Congress extended and expanded the FCC's auction authority. The Act requires the FCC to use auctions to resolve mutually exclusive applications for initial licenses unless certain exemptions apply, including exemptions for public safety radio services, digital television licenses to replace analog licenses, and non-commercial educational and public broadcast stations.

http://wireless.fcc.gov/auctions/default.htm?job=about_auctions

[Realityhack]

6. They are just licenced not sold n/t

[Trillo]

7. A distiniction without meaningful difference.

I own a car, it was "sold" to me in a "bidding" process where an offer was made, netotiations ensued, and agreement reached and "money" handed over. I cannot do anything I want with a car, rather, what I'm allowed to do with it is highly regulated. The state even reserves the right to charge me annually for its use, which they do. Yada yada yada.

[Realityhack]

5. To be fair...

we licence the airwaves to the corporations. This means the corportations pay to use the airwaves.

The corporations invest in antenas and ground networks to utilize the airwaves

The government pays to utilize the end product (wireless access).

The government can in a state of emergency interfear with the airwaves (IIRC mil. spec. spread spectrum radios reak havoc with civilan recivers of various types).

But in order to have a verison wireless access account (or whatever) the government has to pay just as it does to buy a computer or whatever.

You could theoreticaly build something into the licencing where the government can use the product on the airwaves for free but I think that would highly de-value them (in terms of the initial licencing auction) and would likely result in significant increases in cost for civilian services on those airwaves.

An emergency provision could theoreticaly be created but for now it seems like that would be a bit like going back in time to write something in.

[Trillo]

8. Are you suggesting that the service the police departments must pay

on a recurring basis is roughly equivalent to what the mass-market civilian sector must pay for wireless access?

I think that would highly de-value them ... and would likely result in significant increases in cost for civilian services on those airwaves.

The article isn't really that specific (I read it yesterday, so may not recall well), but if we're just talking about $15-60 per month or something else equivalent to mass-market prices, then perhaps the police agencies are crying without reasonable justification. OTOH, if they're needing to pay tens of thousands per month, perhaps because the device and the frequencies used are not "mass market", well, then I'd suggest there's something wrong where the cops and other emergency personnel are getting ripped with corporate greed.

[Tsiyu]

9. And yet there are STILL some here

who insist that this administration would have an easy time declaring martial law in the US.

Their short-term thinking and incompetence say otherwise....