Safety last
Posted by Charles II on January 14, 2008
It happened in the first attack on the World Trade Center.
It happened in the second attack on the World Trade Center.
It happened during Katrina.
It has happened countless times, and will now apparently happen countless times again: first responders such as police and firemen will be unable to talk to one another because their communications equipment is not interoperable.
Corey Boles, Dow Jones:
With the collapse of telecommunications venture Frontline Wireless, analysts are questioning whether a plan for a national wireless broadband network for police and firefighters is still viable.
Frontline, backed by former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Reed Hundt, was to compete against giants AT&T Inc. (T) and Verizon Wireless in a major FCC auction of airwaves set to begin later this month.
Frontline announced last week it was no longer in business. The company had advocated an unusual partnership between the wireless industry and local police, firefighters and emergency responders.
If successful in bidding for the communications airwaves, Frontline said it planned to piece together other sections of communications spectrum to create an advanced wireless broadband network for use by fire, police and emergency service workers.
The aim was to solve the problems that disasters like Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, so glaringly revealed: the inability of the nation’s various law enforcement and public safety workers to communicate effectively in times of crisis.
I don’t think it’s political. Reed Hundt is Democratic juice, but Frontline also had GHWB Republican Janice Obuchowski in a top slot. Money is tight, and big, rich companies like ATT, Vodafone, and Verizon can use their balance sheets to squeeze out competition.
Maybe the big companies will use the spectrum for the public good. But I’m guessing that if they do, we’ll pay in blood for it.
As if we hadn’t paid enough.
7 Responses to “Safety last”
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Phoenix Woman said
The big telcos are all about the money. They happily helped BushCo shred the Constitution with illegal wiretaps in the name of patriotism, but their patriotism only extended as far as the first missed payment for the wiretaps.
Michael said
They have no priorities higher than serving their bottom line. We create corporations whose fiduciary duties compel them to behave immorally.
Charles said
There used to be systems of checks and balances inside corporations that prevented many of the worst abuses. Better job security would help to re-instill a sense of corporate responsibility.
Michael said
That’s like locking the barn door after the horse has escaped, though.
Michael said
To be more explicit, I’m not sure people will feel secure in their corporate jobs in the future no matter what promises are made, and with good cause. Corporations have not shown a recent history of showing loyalty to employees.
Michael said
If a strong union/guild movement were to emerge, that might change things.
Charles said
I would call job security building a better barn.