U.S. Department of Homeland Security Washington, DC 20472 National Preparedness Directorate Information Bulletin No. 264 September 17, 2007 TO: All State Administrative Agency Heads All State Administrative Agency Points of Contact FROM: Dennis Schrader Deputy Administrator, National Preparedness Directorate SUBJECT: Submission of “Optional” Preliminary Statewide Communications Interoperability Plan (SCIP) through the National Preparedness Directorate Secure Portal by September 30, 2007 The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) requires that each State and Territory submit a Statewide Communications Interoperability Plan (SCIP) by December 3, 2007. Although not a requirement, each State and Territory has the option to submit a Preliminary SCIP by September 30, 2007 in order to receive an interim review and feedback before the final deadline. The National Preparedness Directorate (NPD) Secure Portal can be accessed at https://odp.esportals.com for uploading preliminary plans. Each Preliminary SCIP must be uploaded to the State or Territory specific “Preliminary” folder within the Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) Compartment of the NPD Secure Portal. State Administrative Agencies (SAA) who have access to the State or Territory folder can upload the Preliminary Statewide Plan (one plan per State or Territory). As the SAA, if you want to designate an alternate point of contact to upload the Preliminary SCIP, please e-mail your alternate contact name, phone number, and e-mail address to the NPD Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID) at askcsid@dhs.gov (Subject: PSIC Program Office). Upon receipt and confirmation, the alternate point of contact will be granted access to the NPD Secure Portal along with the specific State or Territory folder only. For your reference, additional guidance regarding the upload process is attached. Both the SCIPs and the related Investment Justifications (IJ) are due by December 3, 2007. Please see the SAFECOM Program website to access the SAFECOM criteria for Statewide planning at: http://www.safecomprogram.gov/SAFECOM/statewideplanning/. As a reminder, only after approval of both a State or Territory’s SCIPs and IJs, will the remaining PSIC funds be released to the State or Territory. www.fema.gov Updated Statewide Plan PSIC Statutory Requirements Due to the amended P.L. 110-53 as it relates to PSIC, final SCIP are now due by December 3, 2007 must incorporate the following statutory requirements: • Interoperability: Statewide Plans must describe how public safety agencies will plan and coordinate, acquire, deploy, and train on interoperable communications equipment, software and systems that (1) utilize reallocated public safety spectrum for radio communications – the public safety spectrum in the 700 megahertz (MHz) frequency band, (2) enable interoperability with communications systems that can utilize reallocated public safety spectrum for radio communications, or (3) otherwise improve or advance the interoperability of public safety communications systems that utilize other public safety spectrum bands; • Strategic Technology Reserve (STR): Statewide Plans must describe how a STR will be established and implemented to pre-position or secure interoperable communications in advance for immediate deployment in an emergency or major disaster. • Local and Tribal Government Coordination: Statewide Plans must describe how local and tribal government entities’ interoperable communications needs have been included in the planning process and how their needs are being addressed, if applicable. • Nongovernmental Organization Coordination: Statewide Plans must describe how authorized nongovernmental organizations’ interoperable communications needs have been included in the planning process and how their needs are being addressed, if applicable. Key Dates Please be mindful of the following critical dates related to the SCIPs: September 30, 2007 (Optional) Submit preliminary SCIP to the NPD Secure Portal, which can be accessed at https://odp.esportals.com. December 3, 2007 Submit final SCIP to the NPD Secure Portal, which can be accessed at https://odp.esportals.com. Submit IJs to the NPD Secure Portal, which can be accessed at https://odp.esportals.com. September 30, 2010 All PSIC funds expended or returned to the U.S. Treasury Should you need additional information regarding the PSIC Grant Program, please visit the National Telecommunications and Information Administration website at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/psic/index.html. If you have further questions regarding the SCIPs, please contact the DHS, OEC point of contact Keith Young at Keith.Young@dhs.gov.