New statewide radio system is long overdue

Remember when the CB radio fad hit in the 1970s? Fueled by trucker movies and the 55 mph speed limit, all of us "had our ears on" and had adopted some silly "handle" of some sort or another. So much information ranging from how to dodge "smokey" to where to find the best coffee was moving over the assigned citizen band frequencies that the Federal Communications Commission upped the allocation from 23 channels to 40.

CBs are still out there, but they are gone from most private cars, replaced by cellular phones.

But there was something to be said for being able to communicate with other vehicles in your locality. It was great to be able to put out a general call for help without having to find a telephone number. Drivers could warn others of road hazards like deer or black cattle, and law enforcement officers monitored CB channels as well.

Police, fire and emergency crews would like to be at the place CB users were 30 years ago. Red Willow County is fortunate, because local authorities got together in 1997 to make sure everyone was on the same "page" frequency-wise, so that all of the different public safety agencies are able to communicate.

Such seems to be the exception, rather than the rule. In fact, by some accounts, many firefighters in the World Trade Center might have been saved had they been able to monitor transmissions from police helicopters which radioed warnings that the towers were about to collapse.

Shortcomings like those are rare, thank goodness, but the Statewide Communications Alliance of Nebraska has been set up to make sure they become even less common.

The Legislature passed LB1211 in 2002 to establish a "statewide, seamless, wireless" communication system. SCAN was created to operate, maintain and manage the system. Another group, the Public Safety Communications Agency of Nebraska was formed pursuant to acquire real personal property and construct facilities to make the system possible.

Local authorities are concerned that the network, which will allow all types of radios owned by participating agencies to communicate through a local and statewide "trunk," utilizing the Internet, will siphon off Homeland Security funds now being used for other important upgrades.

A partial answer has been introduced to the Legislature in the form of a bill, LB1176, by Sen. Mick Mines of Blair. Under the bill, residential electrical customers would pay an extra 50 cents, and businesses charged $2, to support that SCAN system. The measure also would give SCAN bonding authority for construction of towers and other facilities.

We won't go as far as some SCAN board members, who said no new taxes would be levied for SCAN under current proposals. The 50 cent or $2 surcharge on utilities is a tax, no matter what you call it.

But in the year 2004, it's silly that an officer in one cruiser can't communicate quickly with an officer in another vehicle, who just happens to wear a different uniform. LB1176 should receive serious consideration.