211
less Public Safety Interoperable Communications, 
the umbrella program in the Department of Home-
land Security designed to lead and coordinate inter-
operability efforts that is commonly known as 
Project SAFECOM, that estimate is now outdated 
and includes only part of the total cost of upgrades. 
(10) An Independent Task Force sponsored by 
the Council on Foreign Relations stated that 
‘‘among other things, additional funds are des-
perately needed . . . to foster interoperable commu-
nications systems for emergency responders across 
the country so that those on the front lines can com-
municate with each other while at the scene of at-
tack’’. The Task Force recommended, ‘‘conserv-
atively’’, that $6,800,000,000 over 5 years is needed 
for interoperability as well as public alert and infor-
mation systems programs. 
(11) Numerous Federal agencies provide infor-
mation or grants that can be used in the develop-
ment of interoperable communications systems. 
However, without common guidance and standards, 
funding and grants are often used in isolation of 
broader, regional communications needs and capac-
ities. There is a need to better coordinate these dis-
parate grant programs, and to provide unified and
212
consistent leadership and funding from the Federal 
Government. 
(12) The partnership between the private and 
public sectors has developed numerous solutions to 
significantly improve communications interoper-
ability that can be implemented immediately. These 
solutions include deployable vehicles that contain 
crosspatch capabilities that allow radio users on sep-
arate frequencies to talk to each other; communica-
tions system overlay software and hardware that 
allow multiple disparate communications networks to 
act as one network; and the Project 25 standard for 
the manufacturing of interoperable digital two-way 
wireless communications products. 
(13) Current approaches to achieving commu-
nications interoperability are also hampered by the 
fact that in many jurisdictions—
(A) the existing radio communications in-
frastructure is old and outdated; 
(B) planning for interoperability is limited 
and fragmented among multiple agencies; 
(C) the necessary coordination and co-
operation within and among jurisdictions is dif-
ficult to achieve; and
213
(D) there is limited and fragmented 
amount of radio spectrum available to public 
safety organizations. 
(14) The lack of universally recognized, fully 
open, and implementable standards for public safety 
agency needs has limited the cost efficiencies of 
interoperability, and has delayed the adoption of new 
technologies by public safety agencies. 
(15) Solutions can only be achieved through co-
operation among all levels of government, and the 
Federal Government, through the Department of 
Homeland Security, must provide nationwide leader-
ship, coordination, and a substantial share of re-
sources necessary to purchase appropriate tech-
nologies and create seamless communications among 
United States public safety agencies. 
(16) In April 2004, the General Accounting Of-
fice found that in Project SAFECOM’s 2 year his-
tory, the program has made very little progress in 
addressing its overall objective of achieving national 
wireless communications interoperability among first 
responders and public safety systems at all levels of 
government, principally due to—
(A) a lack of consistent executive commit-
ment and support; and
214
(B) an inadequate level of interagency col-
laboration. 
(17) Project SAFECOM lacks the statutory au-
thority and dedicated resources necessary to coordi-
nate Federal programs or accomplish other tasks re-
quired to make the achievement of interoperability a 
national priority, and a realistic goal for the Nation. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this subtitle are 
to—
(1) require the Department of Homeland Secu-
rity to provide effective leadership, coordination, and 
technical assistance for the purposes of enhancing 
communications interoperability, and to establish 
and implement a strategy to ensure the achievement 
of communications interoperability for public safety 
agencies throughout the United States; 
(2) authorize appropriations for interoperable 
communications grants to State and local govern-
ments and public safety agencies; and 
(3) support the effective acquisition, installa-
tion, and maintenance of short-term and long-term 
interoperable communications equipment for home-
land security at all levels of government.
215
SEC. 213. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF WIRELESS 
PUBLIC SAFETY INTEROPERABLE COMMU-
NICATIONS. 
(a) AMENDMENT.—The Homeland Security Act of 
2002 (6 U.S.C. 101 et seq.) is amended by adding after 
section 313 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 314. OFFICE OF WIRELESS PUBLIC SAFETY INTER-
OPERABLE COMMUNICATIONS. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following 
definitions shall apply: 
‘‘(1) COMMUNICATIONS
INTEROPERABILITY.—
The term ‘communications interoperability’ means 
the ability of public safety service and support pro-
viders, including emergency response providers, to 
communicate with other responding agencies and 
Federal agencies if necessary, through information 
technology systems and radio communications sys-
tems, and to exchange voice, data, or video with one 
another on demand, in real time, as necessary. 
‘‘(2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ means 
the Director of Wireless Public Safety Interoperable 
Communications. 
‘‘(3) OFFICE.—The term ‘Office’ means the Of-
fice of Wireless Public Safety Interoperable Commu-
nications established under subsection (c).
216
‘‘(4) PUBLIC
SAFETY
AGENCIES.—The term 
‘public safety agencies’ includes emergency response 
providers and any other persons that the Secretary 
determines must communicate effectively with one 
another to respond to emergencies. 
‘‘(b) SENSE
OF CONGRESS REGARDING PROJECT 
SAFECOM.—It is the Sense of Congress that—
‘‘(1) 
after 
more 
than 
years, 
Project 
SAFECOM has made very limited progress in ad-
dressing its overall objective of achieving commu-
nications interoperability among entities at all levels 
of government; 
‘‘(2) a principal impediment to progress has 
been the failure to effectively collaborate with, and 
to obtain consistent funding from, other Federal 
agencies involved with SAFECOM; and 
‘‘(3) in order to accelerate progress in achieving 
communications interoperability among entities at 
all levels of government, all Federal funding and 
program management to achieve this goal should re-
side within the Department of Homeland Security. 
‘‘(c) ESTABLISHMENT.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—There is established the 
Office of Wireless Public Safety Interoperable Com-
munications within the Directorate of Science and
217
Technology, which shall be headed by a Director of 
Wireless Public Safety Interoperable Communica-
tions appointed by the Secretary. 
‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall 
provide the Office with the resources and staff nec-
essary to carry out the purposes of this section, in-
cluding sufficient staff to provide support to each 
State. Support under this paragraph shall include 
outreach, coordination, and technical assistance. 
‘‘(3) DUTIES.—
‘‘(A) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—
‘‘(i) ASSISTANCE
THROUGH
DIREC-
TOR.—The Secretary, acting through the 
Director, shall—
‘‘(I) provide leadership and co-
ordination among all other Federal 
agencies that provide funding, re-
search, technology development, or 
other support for communications 
interoperability; 
‘‘(II) accelerate, in consultation 
with 
other 
nationally 
recognized 
standards organizations as appro-
priate, the development of national 
voluntary consensus standards for
218
communications interoperability, in-
cluding the Project 25 standard, and 
establish a schedule of milestones to 
be achieved in developing such stand-
ards; 
‘‘(III) provide technical assist-
ance to Federal, State, and local gov-
ernments and public safety agencies 
on planning, interoperability architec-
tures, acquisition strategies, and other 
functions necessary to achieve commu-
nications interoperability; 
‘‘(IV) participate in the review 
and final approval of funding for 
grant applications for the purposes of 
administering the grant program es-
tablished under section 430(e); and 
‘‘(V) provide direct technical as-
sistance to State and local govern-
ments and public safety agencies for 
the purposes of administering the 
grant program established under sec-
tion 430(e). 
‘‘(ii) ASSISTANCE BY DIRECTOR AND 
UNDER
SECRETARY
FOR
SCIENCE
AND
219
TECHNOLOGY.—The Director, under the 
direction of the Under Secretary for 
Science and Technology, shall—
‘‘(I) conduct and otherwise pro-
vide for research, development, test-
ing, and evaluation for public safety 
communications 
technologies 
and 
equipment; 
‘‘(II) evaluate and validate new 
technology concepts, including systems 
engineering and development, and 
promote the deployment of advanced 
broadband 
communications 
tech-
nologies; and 
‘‘(III) encourage the development 
of flexible and open architectures and 
standards, with appropriate levels of 
security, for short-term and long-term 
solutions to interoperability. 
‘‘(B) OUTREACH
AND
COORDINATION.—
The Secretary, acting through both the Director 
and the Office of State and Local Government 
Coordination established under section 801, 
shall take such steps as are necessary to enable 
public safety agencies to achieve more effective
220
and efficient interoperable communications, and 
shall collaborate with other Federal agencies, 
the leadership of public safety agencies, and 
State and local governments to—
‘‘(i) develop and maintain a task force 
that represents the broad customer base of 
State and local public safety agencies, as 
well as Federal agencies, involved in public 
safety agency disciplines, in order to re-
ceive input and coordinate efforts to 
achieve communications interoperability; 
‘‘(ii) develop and implement a national 
strategy to achieve communications inter-
operability; 
‘‘(iii) facilitate collaborative planning 
and partnerships among local, State, and 
Federal government agencies; 
‘‘(iv) coordinate, execute, and align all 
Federal public safety wireless communica-
tions activities, to include the development 
of common guidance for grant programs, 
and any programs conducting demonstra-
tion projects, technical assistance, out-
reach, testing and evaluation, or research 
and development to enhance public safety
221
wireless communications and interoper-
ability; 
‘‘(v) share best practices, and provide 
outreach and coordination to State and 
local governments and public safety agen-
cies, to implement short-term and long-
term solutions to achieve communications 
interoperability, and to include commer-
cially available equipment that facilitates 
interoperability, coordination, and integra-
tion among existing emergency commu-
nications systems; 
‘‘(vi) identify and work to overcome 
the political, institutional, and geographic 
barriers within the public safety commu-
nity that can impede interoperability 
among public safety agencies, including 
among Federal agencies; 
‘‘(vii) develop appropriate perform-
ance measures and systematically measure 
the Nation’s progress towards interoper-
ability; and 
‘‘(viii) monitor the availability of, and 
make recommendations to Congress to ad-
dress problems associated with the avail-
222
ability and more efficient use of, radio 
spectrum for public safety. 
‘‘(d) NATIONAL STRATEGY.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 
through the Director, shall, in cooperation with 
State and local governments, Federal agencies, pub-
lic safety agencies, the private sector, and the task 
force established under subsection (c)(3)(B)(i), de-
velop a national strategy to achieve communications 
interoperability, which shall—
‘‘(A) provide for the development of na-
tional voluntary standards for the purchase and 
use by public safety agencies of interoperable 
communications equipment and technologies; 
‘‘(B) identify the appropriate interoperable 
communications capabilities necessary for Fed-
eral, State, and local public safety agencies to 
adequately protect the people of the United 
States; 
‘‘(C) address both short-term and long-
term solutions to achieving Federal, State and 
local communications interoperability, including 
provision of commercially available equipment 
that facilitates interoperability, coordination,
223
and integration among existing emergency com-
munications systems; 
‘‘(D) identify how the Federal Government 
can work effectively with State and local gov-
ernments, public safety agencies in all States, 
and such other entities as are necessary to im-
plement the strategy; 
‘‘(E) include measures to identify and 
overcome all obstacles to achieving interoper-
ability; and 
‘‘(F) set goals and establish time frames 
for the achievement of communications inter-
operability across the United States, and de-
velop performance measures to determine 
whether these goals are being met. 
‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than 6 months after 
the date of enactment of the Connecting the Oper-
ations of National Networks of Emergency Commu-
nications Technologies for First Responders Act of 
2004, and each year thereafter, the Secretary shall 
submit a report to the Congress—
‘‘(A) detailing the progress of the Depart-
ment in carrying out the purposes of this sec-
tion;