C4L-Ref- FCWPC - Replace City�s Public Safety Radio SystemMIAMI BEACH
City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33139, www.miamibeachfl.gov
COMMISSION MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and Members of the City Commission
Kathie G. Brooks, Interim City Manager pty{--
February 6, 2013
REFERRAL TO THE FINANCE AND CITYWIDE PROJECTS COMMITTEE, A
DISCUSSION TO CONSIDER REPLACEMENT OF THE CITY'S PUBLIC SAFETY
RADIO SYSTEM WITH A NEW P25 COMPLIANT SYSTEM BEFORE THE
FEDERALLY MANDATED 2016 TIMEFRAME.
ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDATION
Refer the item to the Finance and Citywide Projects Committee for discussion.
BACKGROUND
The City of Miami Beach, the Licensee, operates a Motorola equipped 800 MHz 10 channel
trunked Public Safety Radio System, the System, in its designated Federal Communication
Commission, FCC, jurisdiction. The System is currently on year eight (8) of a ten (1 0) year life
cycle and it is not Project 25 (P25), compliant as defined by federal P25 standards. The City's
goal is to replace the System with a new P25 compliant system before the 2016 timeframe.
The system replacement time cycle, based on procurement of the existing system, is over two
(2) years from issuance of the RFP to acceptance of a working system.
P25 is a suite of standards for digital radio communications for use of interoperability by
federal, state and local public safety agencies in North America to enable them to communicate
with other agencies and mutual aid response teams in emergencies. The FCC has issued a
directive that all 800 MHz systems will be "narrowbanded" in the 2016 timeframe.
Narrowbanding is the process by which frequency space is narrowed from approximately 25
KHz to 12.5 KHz for each licensed frequency, thus increasing the amount of available radio
spectrum. The main type of systems easily, and cost effectively, capable of being
narrowbanded in such a fashion are P25 compliant systems. Both the infrastructure and the
subscriber components of a radio system must be P25 compliant for full interagency
interoperability to exist.
CONCLUSION
The Administration recommends that the Mayor and the City Commission refer the matter to
the Finance and Citywide Projects Committee for discussion and further direction.
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