PUBLIC SAFETY RESPONDS TO NAB LETTER

Communications Interoperability Issue is Not Resolved

May 9, 2005, Washington, DC - A group of key public safety organizations sent a letter on May 5 to the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet in response to the National Association of Broadcaster's

(NAB) letter stating that the communications interoperability issues have been resolved in the 10 cities within the U.S. with the greatest risk for a terrorist attack.

The group, which includes the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International, the Congressional Fire Services Institute

(CFSI), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCC), the Major County Sheriffs' Association (MCSA), the National Association of Counties (NACo), the National League of Cities

(NLC), and the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA), asserts that although interoperability has improved, there is still work to be done.

"We remain emphatic that the public safety agencies throughout this country, including in these top 10 cities, still have a long way to go to achieve adequate communications operability and interoperability for first responders in the field," the letter from the group states. "Police officers, firefighters, and other first responders at an emergency scene need immediate and direct interoperability. We are still far from achieving that goal in most areas."

To view the letter from the NAB, visit http://www.apcointl.org/about/gov/PDF/NABLetter042705.pdf. To view the letter from the public safety organizations,

visit http://www.apcointl.org/about/gov/PDF/NABResponse050505.pdf

About APCO International

The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International, Inc. is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to the enhancement of public safety communications. APCO serves the professional needs of its 16,000 members worldwide by creating a platform for setting professional standards, addressing professional issues and providing education, products and services for people who manage, operate, maintain and supply the communications systems used by police, fire and emergency medical dispatch agencies throughout the world. For more information, visit www.apcointl.org

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