BY ANNE MICHAUD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
With $6 million that county commissioners have pledged this year to remedy radio communications, paramedic and fire services can count on clear airwaves by the end of summer 1999, a communications official said.
The radio system handles 911 calls for most of Hamilton County. It dispatches fire, police and paramedic services.
Like most public safety radio systems around the country, the equipment is so old that different departments cannot talk to each other during a joint response to a disaster.
Fire and paramedic services, especially, compete for limited airwaves, said William Hinkle, director of the Hamilton County Communications Center.
Hamilton County commissioners promised the piecemeal $6 million last month for a system that needs an estimated $60 million overhaul. They did so under threat of losing a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license for 20 local frequencies.
But the FCC now says that the license is not in jeopardy. Even though there is an expiration date, it is a simple matter to reapply. An April 16 letter from Michael Regiec of the FCC made radio repair seem so urgent that Mr. Hinkle and a committee of local department chiefs pushed commissioners to spend the $6 million now.
"Based on that correspondence and our understanding of the demand for those frequencies, we felt we couldn't afford to gamble they would still be available a year from now," he said. "This FCC issue was certainly a catalyst for moving forward."
The FCC letter read: "Hamilton County must either commit to constructing and provide a schedule which meets the Oct. 14, 1999, deadline, provide justification for extending the deadline beyond October 1999, or return its license for removal from records." Even in the absence of an FCC threat, Hamilton County officials will push for the radio improvements, they said this week. A tax levy was originally headed for the ballot in November to pay for improvements, but officials calculated it would be defeated. They placed their chips on a special election next spring.
Mr. Regiec said the county can reapply for a license after the expiration date.
Mr. Hinkle feared that businesses would compete for the frequencies. Mr. Regiec said that wasn't possible because this part of the 800 megahertz band was set aside by Congress for public safety. "It may be that others (in public safety) need that frequency. We want to get them to build or take it away," he said.
Donald Flahan, an Ohio Turnpike Commission manager who coordinates frequencies throughout Ohio, said the county's only competitor is someone else who would build a countywide system.
County Commissioner Tom Neyer Jr. was surprised by the statements from the FCC, but he defended the decision to spend $6 million to fix the worst problems.
"Given the investment we're making is consistent with what we think our long term needs are, it seemed better not to take a risk" with the license, he said.
"Let's not forget there are genuine deficiencies in the service that exist today."
