Transcripts For CSPAN2 Senators Receive Update On Emergency

Including michael and Virginia Deputy secretary of Public Safety curtis brown is one hour and 45 minutes. The subcommittee will come to order. Rder today we meet for an update. Ont first met and the excitingcitind efforts to deploy the nationwide interoperablenationwide public t Broadband Network. I look forward to the attendance in just a moment or two and mr. Ranking member. Congress created the First Responder Network Authority to lead the Development Authority of a nationwide interoperability Safety Broadband Network in thed United States. The Communications Failures tham plague the murecovery efforts during 9 11that plagu and othern emergencies including Hurricane Katrina there was and still is the need for a Reliable Network for the Public Safety officials. Such would improve the coordination among firston on fn responders across multipleross e jurisdictions and enhance the ability of First Responders to lifesaving Services Last y quickly. The committee convened for an update on the progress in ettn establishing the Safety Broadband Network. Each state is deploying a network at first but alsonetwor reiterated its commitment to providing reliable coverage to rural areas, an issue near and dear to my heart and to a number of other members of thethe subcommittee. We assure members of the subcommittees that would be priced for Public Safety users to issue great importance to thet responders around country. Its open innovation and test laba test to develop and test ni implications that can be used for First Responders on the ubyt future of the Public Safety network. In march, they formerly selected at t as its industry partner to build a fight and maintain the network over pa the next 25 years and last month issued thestnet u initial state plans which detailed its deployment proposals for the radio accessss network in the states and jurisdictions. I look forward to hearing more more a about each of these actions. Im eager to learn the buildout plans. I hope our witnesses will also address the development of subscription pricing plans forr Public Safety officials subscr to use the network and how the plans are being developed in coordination with the states. Lio i look forward to hearing about the resiliency of the network in particular how first met and 18 he will harbor them and secure it from the potential cyber i iv threats and Natural Disastersatd and other planned events. Additionally i meant us to do w fi now at t will incorporate feedback from the state beforete stat the initial plans are finalizedz were finalized. By any estimation the development of this nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network istwork a challenge but its an important endeavor to ensure First Responders can fulfill their Daily Mission to save lives. They put their lives on the lin. Every day. They deserve a network that is interoperable, reliable andble d secure. I welcomese all the witnessessi today that includesof o mr. Curs brown deputy secretary of the virginia secretary of public o safety andf public homeland sec. The assistant Professor University of mississippisippi r medical center, mr. Mark goldstein, physical issues, Government Accountability office, chief executive officeri and a Senior Vice President ati at t. In 2012 when congress created first met we made a commitment to Public Safety at the time we knew from the tragedies of the september 11ti in hurricanespons katrina that they faced glaring communication problems and alsot couldnt communicate with onenor another in an emergency and we also knew the problems could bed solved with a nationwidee interoperable Public Safetynati. Communication Network Today we are closer than ever to making that a reality. Firefigters will be able to download the blueprint for the burning building before they l enter and aik Police Officer arriving at the scene can run a get pictureseck or by accessing a federal Law Enforcement database and mostlaw importantly will not be competing with commercial users. For bandwidth and will haveve they priority on the network that wil will be built in the specifications with convicted of the vices and specify Public Safety applications for the decades to come but its also a task. Huge task and this is the first time weve done anythingdone lie this. The board made Good Progress ana we now have a vendor that brings assets that goes beyond. Theyve delivered plans to each ahead of schedule, five states alreadyule. Opted in and many as the review process and we hope the states and First Responders learn more about the value of the network. Many of us represent the areasrs of the country the communities already suffer from a lack of these access to commercial broadband it services so it is critical that they address the challenge headn on so that every First Responder benefit from the new network. Eta it is the responsibility to assure the specific needs of the states and territories are expert at through all aspects to the operation and management of. Each state has made a final decision on how to participate the partners can begin thein network that delivers on the promise congress made it to the publicth in 2012. This reflect the importance of the topic ands the interest f americans in this chapter. If its alright we will take the testimony in this order and go from one end of the table to another and end up in the middle you are recognized to go first. Thank you Ranking Member andr members of the committee. Yowould like to thank you forrl the opportunity to discuss theop efforts to ensure firstportun responders have the capabilitiee necessary to respond to all hazards. The governor was proud to announce virginia was the first state in the nation virginia wao provide the current Public Safety subscribersde to benefit and services at no cost to the e commonwealth as well as the como green light in the portion ofna thesa network we believe thehe decision will promote competition and the Public Safety safety communicationsmarkace tht marketplace to reduce costs and drive innovation across the carriers. Innov it would consider the unknown costat and risk associated inh d deploying and operating the network wasnt feasible and ith been a leader in tas lhe field f interoperability for Public Safety and the decision continues a trend. Hy aunique geography and geograp Critical Infrastructure requirey robust security programs tofor prepare for a wide range oftentm threats from terrorism to hurricanes and therefore its vital that professionals are pui equipped with the tools needed onals are qu save lives. The Lessons Learned aree who si implemented and many administered during the ceremonial signing of the lettei with the response of 9 11 at the pentagon in arlington. Im joined by my collieague frm virginia been instrumental torto engage the virginia Public Safety stakeholders includinge fire, ems and emergency management. Ergenc the Homeland Security resiliencf staff director, state point of contact has been instrumental in the efforts to review documents and Charles Warner fromer from charlottesville is recognized on the subject of emergencyat communication and innovation fo. Public safety. Serving as the state interoperability chair was past president of the gentle have ant their expertise and yearsam of service to improve thertise communications and virginia vgia nationally therefore the decisiononnational to often wasd years of study and outreach in collaboration with public safetc stakeholders. Moving forward we will work with at t to maximize the benefit of the network for the commonwealth Public Safety community isic sac essential to the collaborative effort is the commitment to ndsureto this collababeffort iso especially for the responderss and the communities it is alsooi critical to them. Co. Emphasized the effort andmic advance the schedule for enhanced location capabilities to 2019 in order to adequately protect men and womenn in n iform. R men anwome as the governor mentioned lastsk week, the decision marks another significant a step forward. Re creating the Reliable Network for Public Safety thank you again and i look forward to answering your questions. Ed five chairman, Ranking Members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify. On what the the challenges and opportunities in the medical i arena im the emergencyen physician by trade, publici am r safety byt background and i see as a medical director for the center for Mercy Services at Th University center that looks at y research mississippi hasalleng d challenges and healthcare unlike many care other states challeng, chronic disease, location ofdere providers and limited providers as the state progresses forward. The integration of the reliable Broadband Network is vital for mi to make things happen that w currently cannot do. Mississippi is one of the leading states in public telecommunications. It has revolutionized the wayreu that we Practice Medicine inti mississippi. In 2010 they won a Broadband Technology within the award to overlay broadband data over an existing Land Mobile Radio Network to integrate and improve our health care we still believe that. During the development of deployment of the the developmee learned many lessons on how to deploy, develop and integrate a system to improve Public Safety and medical care for s provider. We have the potential to meet many of these needs. Many of us dont have the capacity where we need it mostah and medicine. Now they have coverage in the middlees but now t of nowhere ft medical care or specifically to get the patient where they need to go to. Much of the same discussion is going on in other rooms by healthcare. We believe that the broadbandgoe data is essential going forward. From the medical perspective wee a medical perspective we need reliable Public Safety Data Communications thats vital and the biggest question on the preemption weve embarked on a unique opportunity to improve health care in the state oneh cr example we relieved fromgranivef Homeland Security and thesecurit medicalhe communication project where we are engaged. Ta on how if we talk about this earlier its been retooled to say we are going to do and innovation to do look at the ability to take the same data and how do we transfer better over the wireless system we believe this is a vital step for the systems going forward. This is vital for us we have tos get innovative and Rural America and this is one of the ways tot. We h do it. We hope in the oversight role this will help first met become what we all need as we help thel as well. The areas of the state that are currentlyy va underserved. Impact its almost weekly a three car accident in rural mississippisuw taxes the same resources thatsf where we need this the most. Pui to push the boundaries of possibilities they are there and they cananof possibiliti push t. It could allow us to do that. Ur. Thank you for your time. Thank you very much. Next we will hear from the Government Accountability office mr did i pronounce your name correctly . Way . U are recognized for five minutes thanks to the subcommittee. S. Mrmr you arer we are publicly releasing today and we previously reported and testified which one examines. Theres the network reliability, security and interoperabilityne challenges in the research to address them. We fully explore the concern. O e its charged with establishing n et inationwide Public Safety Broadband Networks chargetabliss reliable, secure and profitable to inform the work with a variety of stakeholders. Oversit the performance is important given the scope of the network and the duration of the contract. Among the findings in the report of theg ga following first condd efforts to establish the network eff releasing the request for the network they will be responsible for the opposition and evolution of the network. Ork. Additionally they consulted with state and local, federal into trouble networks and officials contacted were generally satisfied with efforts to engage them. Mec it is to contact and working group they noted individuals experiences are not able toexpe represent tribal views directly among the key decisionmakers. Although it is required to consult with tribes through the points of contact for tribal communication is to seek full understanding of the concernsndl and reached a consensus where possible by exploring and proposing actions with akeholless concerns they could help improve relations and better meet stakeholder needs. They face challenges to ensure the reliability of a securenetws ability. For example, they raise concerns related to providing coverage to rural areas and buildings are underground and ensuring the overall resiliency andnd netw cybersecurity and managingcybery framework for user identity,frau credentialing users can Access Management and prioritization of the network. Netwo first met has taken actions on this site just by opening a test lab to test Public Safetys and devices and applications before deploying them on the network. E the majority contacted were satisfied with the efforts of sh many noted uncertainty remains about how it will be implemented and its overall playability. Third is establish offices to oversee its Network Contractor develop policies and proceduresd to guide the administration andd putting management and oversighv and is receiving assistance from foother agency. For example they established the Program Office to oversee theffo contractors performance and facilitate que alithe ty assurar among other things. Firstnet h ny they havent yet conducted a longterm projection for staffing its office as of recent months. E as a result, it would have sufficient resources toha handle increases in its responsibilities over time. Planning for and assigninguate adequate resources including people in the resources resourcs the key practice for planningtip and executing effectivelannin ct oversight, but performing the longterm staffing it would be in a better position to fullytad understand the staffing needs and respond to the changes and risks but assume for responsibility to contact the administration in the future. This concludes my statement and i would be happy to address any questions. Thank you. E involved in some qanda in a few moments. We will go to you mac stand here from at t. Next hear r s good to have you with us. Ce mr. Chairman, Ranking Members of the committee, im the senior vicend mem president of and curi responsible for at t fulfillment of the first contract including the design and executing on thex Business Model that will support a nationwide First Responder nae network. We are honored to have beenoseno chosen to build and manage the network. I achieve this mission as a spel special opportunity for at t ans its employees to demonstrate the continued commitment toployee pc safety and our communities. Im especially grateful for the opportunity at t is committed td dedicating an interoperable interoperabl network to give responders the technologyill they need to effectively communicate and collaborate across agencies andn jurisdictions. The at t team i lead isthat i dedicatedes exclusively. Rstnet cou i expect the group to have several hundred employees. As we hire people across the country with a broad range offpo skill sets to help us ramp up theebroad Network Buildout ovel at t expects to send 40 billion over the lifetime of this contract and to build a nationwide interoperable ipbased highspeed mobilenetwok network encrypted in its quarter that will provide first prov responders priority, primaryes w users with preemption and all other users during times of agey presidency and network congestion. Etwork constion. The First Network will be connected to and leverage off nn be co the worldclasscommunicions telecommunications platform valued a