HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0804.003 1998-2000
BENJAMIN J. CAVETANO KAZU HAYASHIDA
GOVERNOR <E,.+-~
DIRECTOR
1 DEPUTY DIRECTORS
BRIAN K. MINAAI
® $ GLENN M. OKIMOTO
STATE OF HAWAII REPL,tV REFER TO:
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
869 PUNCHBOWL STREET HWY-H 00-2.0553
HONOLULU, HAWAII 96813-5097 -
June 16, 2000
The Honorable James Y. Arakaki
Chairman
Hawaii County Council
Hawaii County Building
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Dear Chairman Arakaki:
SUBJECT: Ordinance No. 00-50, Amending No. 99-71, Microwave Relocation and System
Renovation
This letter supports the Hawaii County Police Department's request for $8,000,000 to relocate
the County's present analog microwave radio system to a modern 6 Ghz digital system.
The 1995 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Rules under Part 88, known as the
"Refarming Act", mandates Hawaii County to relocate from the 2 Ghz to the 6 Ghz microwave
frequency by 2005. Essentially, the "Refarming Act" sold the 2 Ghz microwave frequencies to
numerous private communication services (PCS) companies, such as, Western Wireless (dba
Voice Stream), Sprint, and Primeco.
The appropriated $8,000,000 would bring the County of Hawaii in compliance with the 1995
FCC Act and would provide a system that would eliminate radio interference between PCS and
County telecommunication users. Furthermore, the relocation project will replace the present
microwave radios, now over 26 years old, and will replace the old radio towers to meet the
minimum Federal Standards for this region. At this point, less than tropical storm type winds can
cripple our telecommunications system. The age and obsolescence of the current system lends
itself to frequent breakdown and difficulty in finding replacement parts.
The Honorable James Y. Arakaki HWY-H 00-2.0553
Page 2
June 16, 2000
The funds also will be used for land acquisition (for several new tower sites), rebuilding of
microwave radio installation sites, new generators, power plants, and air conditioning units to
stabilize the ambient air.
In addition, an upgraded microwave system will support the next phase of developing the
County's telecommunications system to an 800 Mhz trunking system. The 800 Mhz system will
overcome the limitations of the existing radio system and permit future growth. Trunking offers a
more efficient utilization of the radio spectrum; will make possible interoperability among
departments and other agencies (especially in emergency response and major disaster situations);
and will correct the many "dead spots" where radio communications are poor or non-existent.
State Highways is dependent on the County's microwave system which also serves as a
"backbone" to the different VHF radio bands used by numerous agencies, to name a few, the
Police Department, Fire Department, Public Works, County Road, Civil Defense, and Water
Department.
As such, a failure of the County's microwave system will have a tremendous impact on the
government's ability to provide public safety and other needed services to the citizens of Hawaii
County.
For these significant reasons, the Department of Transportation strongly supports Ordinance No.
00-50, to appropriate $8,000,000 for the Microwave Relocation and System Renovation.
Very truly yours,
V KAZU HAYASHIDA
Director of Transportation