Federal authorities on Friday suspended allocations of $154 million earmarked to build a system that would allow first responders from a multitude of agencies in Los Angeles County to communicate with each other quickly in an emergency, county Supervisor Don Knabe said.
The National Telecommunications & Information Administration gave local officials until April 13 to submit an amended project plan acceptable to both the Los Angeles City Council, the county Board of Supervisors and the NTIA, according to Knabe’s office.
The federal funding was earmarked for the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System, or LA-RICS.
“The news today … that the NTIA is suspending funding of the LA-RICS is disappointing and frustrating,” Knabe said in a statement.
“Living in a region that is susceptible to wildfires, earthquakes and other disasters, residents throughout all 4,000 square miles of Los Angeles County are at risk,” Knabe said. “Our first responders must have the tools and equipment necessary to protect lives, most importantly, the ability to communicate quickly and reliably in the event of disaster.”
The project involves building hundreds of communications towers across Los Angeles County. Officials have identified 232 sites for towers, and 15 towers have been built, according to Cheryl Burnett of Knabe’s office.
Each tower is expected to cost about $500,000, Burnett said. So far, local authorities have received about $31 million in federal funding for the project.
But the project has raised health and aesthetic concerns from people who live or work near where the towers would be built.
Federal officials suspended further funding in the aftermath of recent decisions by the Los Angeles City Council and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Burnett said.
The supervisors decided more community outreach was needed in connection with the LA-RICS project, Burnett said. The City Council voted earlier this week not to build towers at police and fire stations. Some firefighters have complained that radio emissions from the towers pose a health hazard.
“Recently, disingenuous rhetoric about the project was put out to scare residents into believing that this communications network could cause more harm that good,” Knabe said.
“… I believe that the scientific evidence is clear: the LA-RICS towers do not pose a health hazard to the public,” he said. “Now we have 10 days to formulate a new plan of action to make this interoperable communications network a reality.”
Knabe said that “whether we have to reconfigure where we place the towers or refresh our outreach to communities … it is important that Los Angeles County be the first to make this project operational.”
Los Angeles County Interim Chief Executive Officer Sachi Hamai described today’s federal action as “a setback that we believe can — and must — be overcome to ensure the safety of Los Angeles County residents.”
Hamai said that a county delegation will travel to Washington, D.C., April 20 to “personally seek support for this crucial communications system.”
— City News Service