DC-NET Takes Charge of Telecommunications

DC-NET Takes Charge of Telecommunications

City-owned network streamlines service and saves millions

Peter R. Roy, Deputy Chief Technology Officer, expects DC-NET will save Washington, DC, more than $10 million annually.

Washington, DC, is a city preoccupied with streamlining communications. Even before the attacks on September 11, 2001, the district's Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) was searching for better, more secure ways to speed communications between fire, police, emergency teams, and the district's agencies, as well as to improve the quality of overall communications within the government.

One solution has been to implement DC-NET, a world class, fiber-optic network that is wholly owned by the District of Columbia and dedicated exclusively to government use. In addition to the advanced technology, DC-NET will save the city more than $10 million annually once it is completely up and running.

Communicating Across the Board
Expected to be fully operational early this year, the system's benefits will end the overloading that occurred during 9/11, delivering instant, always-on communications via telephone, radio, computers, and wireless devices. The threat of interference, delays, or disconnections will become a thing of the past.

On a day-to-day basis, DC-NET also will:

• Enable EMTs to coordinate with DC hospitals via wireless devices powered through the network;
• Improve timing systems to smooth traffic flows;
• Allow remote police and fire units to feed data to the Department of Public Works so downed trees and heavy snows can be removed quickly;
• Provide streaming of educational videos between district libraries and other educational facilities; and
• Improve neighborhood services at senior centers, parks, and recreational venues with multicast video presentations and high-speed access to learning seminars.

Selling a New Mindset
While DC-NET is a winning proposition for the district, the quest to make it a reality has been challenging, requiring patience, intense interagency and public education efforts, and broad-scale cooperation, all in a business mindset not always encountered in municipal government.

The District of Columbia is not the first municipality to build and operate its own high-speed telecommunications network. Several other cities are investigating the benefits behind municipality-owned networks. The municipalities of Portland, OR, San Diego, CA, and Burlington, VT, have their own networks and are demonstrating that city-owned networks can provide valuable infrastructures for the economic, social, and cultural development of their communities.

What makes the district's system unique is that it is the first system with an intensive focus on intergovern-mental communications for safety, education, and cost savings.

To overcome the technical and financial challenges, OCTO first had to develop a business case that reflects traditional private-sector thinking. OCTO started by creating a sound business, engineering, and operations plan that was used to educate other DC agencies and the public and to reach an agreement that DC-NET will be the district's primary wireline communications system.

Activating the Plan
DC-NET was conceived in 1999 when the district began negotiations with Comcast Cable on a cable TV "franchise" agreement, wherein Comcast agreed to provide the backbone for a private fiber-optic communications network. From this starting point, the district began developing a citywide voice and data communications system.

To help build the infrastructure, the district negotiated a contract with private cable television providers for free network fiber installation in exchange for coveted access to the city's public space (i.e., access to roads and sidewalks for building the cable TV system).

Taking another step outside the box, DC-NET chose to use private contractors with specific qualifications in telecommunications to build, maintain, and operate the system.

OCTO recognized the traditional limitations of government business competencies. Through a competitive bid process OCTO selected the specific expertise needed. Cisco Systems, Inc., San Jose, CA, is providing the SONET and IP equipment foundation, and Avaya, Inc., Basking Ridge, NJ, is supplying the PBX (private branch exchange) equipment for voice communications. OCTO also has competed carrier services and physical-layer services with excellent results.

Under New Management
To oversee DC-NET after it is fully functional, OCTO is proposing the establishment of a new, legally independent entrepreneurial entity that will be able to contract with independent and other DC agencies to produce revenue to offset the city's investments. This entrepreneurial entity also will retain revenue to perform upgrades to avoid obsolescence and maintain reliability, and handle support functions such as marketing, customer service, and invoicing.

DC-NET will bring Washington, DC, more reliable communications while saving millions of dollars annually, making it a winning proposition for the district. What makes DC-NET unique is its exclusive focus on intergovernmental communications for safety, education, and cost savings, all tremendous benefits to every DC resident.

Editor's Note: Peter R. Roy is Deputy Chief Technology Officer for the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Technology Officer, Washington, DC. He can be reached at peter.roy@dc.gov.

PRO PATHWAY SONET software, from Cisco Systems, Inc., San Jose, CA. Visit: www.ciscosystems.com, or call 800-553-6387. Communications networks from Avaya, Inc., Basking Ridge, NJ. Visit: www.avaya.com, or call 800-784-6104.

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