National Incident Management System (NIMS) Smart Practice

Crossing the Digital Divide Series of Best Practices

Disclaimer

• Whatever the FCC said on Tuesday

Case Study

• Allegany County, MD

Rural Realities

“Which 12 teachers do you want me to fire?”

Why AllCoNet?

AllCoNet2 was created as a wireless alternative to wireline solutions for delivery of internet and private data to schools, libraries, government agencies and economic development within Allegany county.

1996AllCoNet1 Completed

2001Verizon declines network upgrade

1992Robin KranzNASA

1993 Pablo Brenner 802.11 pioneer

1994AllCoNet1 Beta Test

1995AllCoNet Partnership

2000Private sector interest builds

2002AllCoNet2 Proposed

2005AllCoNet2 Completed

1999Kelly Springfield closes

Decline of Smokestack IndustriesMigration toward Information Economy

2002-04Feasibility StudyGrants/Funding

Why AllCoNet2?

Essential Connectivity

““The overall cost for these The overall cost for these circuits is significantly greater circuits is significantly greater than the competing sites and is than the competing sites and is

prohibitive.prohibitive.

““Based on the above, Goodyear Based on the above, Goodyear cannot make a business case for cannot make a business case for

the site in Maryland.”the site in Maryland.”

Economic Divide

• Necessary services are not available

• No private investment

• Higher costs

• No support

What is a Telco?

Physical Plant Architecture Services

• Central Office

• Fiber/copper connections to customers

• Fault-tolerant connections between central offices

• Power backup

• Environmental controls

• Security

• SONET

• Security

• Redundancy

• Hardened equipment

• Designed for high availability and high reliability

• Management Tools

• Traditional services (TDM T1, DS3, OCn)

• Carrier data circuits (Frame Relay, ATM)

• Broadband (DSL)

• Voice (POTS, PRI, VoIP)

The Real Digital Divide

• The ability to provide the same telecommunication services at a price that is equal to or less than major metropolitan markets is the hidden, and more important

“Economic Divide”

Case Study (summary)

• Government communication services provided the business case for deployment– Schools and libraries– Government facilities– Emergency services– Homeland security– Utilities (SCADA)– Not-for-profit operations

National Incident Management System (NIMS)

National Incident Management System (NIMS)

• While most emergency situations are handled locally, when there's a major incident help may be needed from other jurisdictions, the state and the federal government.

• NIMS was developed so responders from different jurisdictions and disciplines can work together better to respond to natural disasters and emergencies, including acts of terrorism. NIMS benefits include a unified approach to incident management; standard command and management structures; emphasis on preparedness, and mutual aid and resource management.

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) Integration Center (NIC)

• The NIMS Integration Center (NIC) was established by the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide "strategic direction for and oversight of the National Incident Management System (NIMS)... supporting both routine maintenance and the continuous refinement of the system and its components over the long term." The Center oversees all aspects of NIMS including the development of compliance criteria and implementation activities at federal, state and local levels. It provides guidance and support to jurisdictions and incident management and responder organizations as they adopt the system.

• The Center is a multidisciplinary entity made up of federal stakeholders and over time, it will include representatives of state, local and tribal incident management and responder organizations. It is situated within the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency.

http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/nims_doc_cvr.pdf

http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/nims_compliance.shtm#nimsdocument

“Jurisdictions are required to meet the FY06 NIMS requirements as a condition of receiving federal preparedness funding assistance in FY 2007”

From Mock Disaster to Smart Practice

• DHS / FEMA travel to Cumberland, MD to see review the network they helped fund

• DHS / FEMA conducted a mock disaster in Allegany County, MD in 2005

• NIMS ran better on AllCoNet2 than any other network

• DHS /FEMA bring in their science and technology consultant and technology support

• DHS / FEMA determines to develop a “smart practice” document to educate communities on network design and features

http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/smart_practice.pdfor go to www.fema.gov and type in allconet

A2 Core Features

• NCIC (Nat’l Crime Information Center) database (requires Layer2 / encryption)

• HIPAA (Health Information Portability and Accountibility Act) compliant

• IPv6 compliant

• “Carrier grade” components

• Streaming High Definition cameras

Why High Definition Video?

Photos from IQinVision HD Cameras

Why is Interoperability So Hard?

• HF• UHF• VHF• Trunked (700 &

800Mhz)• P25• Tactical 4.9Ghz• 700Mhz• EDACS

• STU-lll phones• STE phones• Landline PSTN

Public Safety Spectrum Bands

From the Public Safety Wirless Network (PSWN) program www.pswn.gov

Multiple Connections are a Prerequisite

Courtesy Voiceboard Corp www.voiceboard.com

Multiple Jurisdictions Must Interoperate

Courtesy Voiceboard Corp www.voiceboard.com

Emergency Operations Command Center (EOC) or DHS / FEMA Joint Field Office (JFO)

Courtesy Voiceboard Corp www.voiceboard.com

New Interoperability Software

Courtesy Voiceboard Corp www.voiceboard.com

What Makes This Platform Special?

• Multi-service• Self Contained• Self Healing• Self Adjusting• Layer 1,2,3 Separation• Security • Prioritization• Reliability (99.9999%)

• QOS• GOS• Self adjusting• Self balancing• Latency• Jitter• Backhaul• Easily Replicated

Architecture

Network Coverage

Located in Allegany County, Maryland (430 sq mi), the network consists of 14 towers with

coverage to:– 85% of Allegany County residents, – 90% of the businesses and – 100% of the business parks.

CONXX Private SONET OC-n Level (3)

LEC bypass opportunity for national carriers

National Fiber-optic Networks

Level (3) Fiber-optic Network

Collocation at carrier hotel

How do you reinvent a Telco?

Schools

Government

Public Safety

Business Parks

1. Identify population centers

2. Identify Opportunities

3. Apply CONXX Architecture

Towers

Backbone

Coverage

Backbone Transportusing Fiber and/or

Licensed Microwave

How do you layer in the Public Safety network?

Interoperability Server(ACU 1000 / Voiceboard)

Baseband Radios(UFH, VHF, Trunked Pa25)

Traditional services (TDM T1, DS3, OCn)

Fiber to the Premise

900 Mhz unlicensed GSM radio

w/ AES 128/256

Environmental Controls

Security

Management

Power Backup

UHFVHFTNK

Fort Hill

Frostburg

Haystack South

Additional Towers

Blue - 2.4 / 5.8 GHzFacing Haystack Mtn

Orange - 2.4 / 5.8 GHzFacing Mexico Farms

Double Brown - 900 MHzFacing Hoffman

Brown - 2.4 / 5.8 GHzFacing Triple Lakes

Knobby South Tower Views

Education (done right)

Feasibility Facts

But they’re only looking at the tip of the iceberg.

Today’s broadband projectshelp satisfy the need for residential connectivity...

Traditional Telecom

• 1 DS3 = $3,500 / mo.

• or 233 residential broadband users at $15 / mo

• or 700 residential broadband users at AllCoNet2 wholesale rates

1

233

700

Conclusion

“The World is Flat”Thomas L. Friedman

So how do you keep your community from falling off the edge?

Public SafetyTip of the Spear for Community Networks

Solving the Economic Divide

• For the cost of:– 1 mile of highway– 5 miles of waterline

• solve your communications infrastructure

Access Bandwidth in the Last Mile

From: How Much Bandwidth is Enough In the Access Network? Strategies of AT&T, Verizon, and BellSouth in the Design of the Last Mile, Information Gatekeepers, Inc.

Unexpected Opportunities for Growth

• “New Ruralism”

• “ruppies”• WSJ October 2, 2006 The Journal Report: Encore

– “Forget Golf Courses, Beaches and Mountains When it comes to findings a new place to live, today’s retirees are looking for dsomething completely different.

“Telework Hitting Home in Customer Contact” The New “Gold Standard ”The Call Center Management Review - August 2006 Issue by Greg Levin

Work@home

http://www.willowcsn.com/CyberCorps/applynow.asp

http://www.alpineaccess.com/external/agentRequirements.html

http://www.workathomeagent.com/

References

• FEMA / NIMS Smart Practice

• ARC / AllCoNet a Mountain County Connects

• Dept. of Commerce / Economic Development America Broadband Access in Rural Areas

• An Open Invitation

Thank you

Todd Tannertodd.tanner@conxx.net801-326-1200 SLC office801-580-0966 mobileCumberland, MD888-88-CONXX (888-882-6699)

Jeff BlankAllegany Board of Educationjblank@allconet.org301-759-2006

Extra Slides