Within an hour of the first plane striking on Sept. 11, the General Services Administration established a response team consisting of resources from multiple federal technology organizations. Denny Groh, acting associate commissioner for service delivery at the GSA, led the effort, which was designed to help federal agencies within the World Trade Center and the Pentagon resume operations.
The GSA learned lots of lessons. For example, many of the 600 cell phones it quickly shipped to emergency personnel were initially unusable because of damaged cell sites. Carriers sent in cellular sites on wheels that got those systems back into use. As for landline communications, workers had to get creative.
"Wires were actually strung out of 14-story buildings," Groh says. "Some of the photos they brought back were just amazing: 10 blocks of rubble with hanging wire that crossed what used to be streets to connect buildings so that they could communicate and actually start conducting their 'normal' operations."
The team later turned to microwave systems, although they proved difficult to deploy with many building owners unreachable. "We learned that you could do microwave shots from buildings through windows and get connectivity," Groh says.
New efforts include a land mobile radio system that will let first responders communicate regardless of what frequency they're using. Another initiative gives federal agencies a menu of six options that will let them choose the type of network security they need at a price they can afford.
Importantly, Groh says agencies within the federal government have learned to work together better on technology and communications issues.
"You can have the best technology in the world, but if it's not provided to the people who need it when they need it, it's not going to do any good," he says.
- Jennifer Mears
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