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ATTACHEMENT — Request for Council Action 10/16/20 — CD Microwave System Replacement The County of Hawaii data network was reliant on the commercial fiber-optic cable provider for data flow to County facilities located in remote places. The issue with this setup was that the fiber-optic cable network is not a complete circuit around the island. The lack of a complete circuit did not support alternate pathways for data should a link within the fiber-optic cable system fail. This data link is critical to the Public'Safety Land Mobile Radio (LMR) system by providing the back -haul capability to the LMR system. The County attempted to resolve this issue beginning in 2008 by procuring components of a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) system to provide back -haul over a microwave network. The intent -was to close the fiber-optic cable gap with MPLS through microwave to create unlimited pathways for radio signals and data to eliminate system outages. This project progressed intermittently due to changes in key players at the Police, Fire and Information Technology Departments and at the Civil Defense Agency. Each change brought new ideas and priorities to the table where MPLS over microwave was prioritized below other requirements. The delays in completing the MPLS project bring us to the current, situation where the components of the system have reached end of service and end of life and will no longer be supported by the manufacturer. Over the last twelve years the project has been financed through Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) funds. The funding source also played a role in'the disjointed execution of the project as funding was not always available to move the project forward due to the changing priorities for funding. A detailed proposal on a complete system component upgrade was prepared by the radio system contractor at the request of the initial Radio System Manager. This proposal included system component replacement, installation, and maintenance at a cost of 4.9 million dollars. The plan advanced for 3.9 million dollars was a Sceintel Solutions plan for the MPLS and microwave components only. As the newly hired Radio System Manager researched the current system, plans and projects in place to maintain the system the proposal requested by the initial Radio System Manager surfaced. This plan addresses the MPLS, microwave system, LMR interface with MPLS and microwave, and primary and secondary power sources at radio sites. This proposal is the comprehensive plan that will ensure the Public Safety LMR system serves the County of Hawaii needs in Public Safety communication and County Information Technology data network for the next twenty years. Addressing all the issues and concerns at one time with a comprehensive plan as opposed to the underfunded piecemeal approach over the last twelve years would appear to be a prudent way to address public safety and the County's ability to provide services at remote locations.