10B Action 2007 0507 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Page 3 What other options are available? What other technologies besides this one are available now or will be within the next 5 years? In the future we may be able to access broadband technology that will provide additional communications capabilities, but it will never replace our need to have dedicated reliable infrastructure to support our need for voice communications. It is anticipated that new broadband technologies can be integrated and coordinated with the proposed EBRCS. If we currently have interoperability at Level 4 (out of 5), why do we need to go any further? What additional communication will we see as a result of this investment? The current communications infrastructure is becoming obsolete and will not have replacement parts available in the near future. The new infrastructure will be a P25 compliant digital system. The P25 mandate requires that all 800 MHz systems have the ability to talk to each other if agreements are in place to allow radios to be programmed with the same channels. We will have a fully interoperable system for the two counties that will also be linked to P25 systems planned for the West Bay including San Francisco and San Mateo counties. Moving to digital will offer us the ability to access additional technologies as they become available. In the next few years it is anticipated that the existing 800 MHz radio system will be shut down and replaced by the EBRCS. When this occurs the City would have to be a part of another system that will determine the level of interoperability that is available. How many more lives will be saved by this JP A? The question should be how many will be lost if we don't have a useable communications system. How would the task force respond to the perception that this is the County's way to get Cities to pay for the replacement of the County's failing infrastructure? Would a County voter approved capital improvement bond be a more appropriate funding mechanism? The proposed EBRCS will not be a County system. It will be owned by all the participating jurisdictions and maintained in accordance with the Board of Directors' approval. Each jurisdiction can determine how best to fund their portion. The County has no plans to re-create or maintain a County owned system. The County will become one of the participating agencies who co-own and contribute to the maintenance and management of the system. The purpose of the proposed EBRCS is not only to replace the existing County and City systems that are nearing the end of their life span, but to create a larger regional communication system that provides the largest coverage area possible, greater economies of scale and a shared governance model. The JP A board of directors will evaluate all options to fund the infrastructure and future operation of the system once the JP A is formed.