81 FR 37628 - Office for Interoperability and Compatibility Seeks Nominations for the Project 25 Compliance Assessment Program Advisory Panel-Single Position

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Office for Interoperability and Compatibility

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 112 (June 10, 2016)

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is seeking nominations and expressions of interest for replacing an open position on the Project 25 Compliance Assessment Program Advisory Panel (P25 CAP AP). The P25 CAP AP holds quarterly meetings with the public on topics related to P25 CAP. The next meeting is scheduled for August 2016 timeframe. The Project 25 Compliance Assessment Program is a standard which enables interoperability among digital two-way land mobile radio communications products created by and for public safety professionals. The P25 CAP is a formal, independent process created by DHS and operated in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to ensure that communications equipment that is declared by the supplier to be P25 compliant, is in fact tested against the standards with publicly published results. The P25 CAP AP provides a resource by which DHS gains insight into the collective interest of organizations that procure P25-compliant equipment and a resource for DHS to continue to establish the policies of the P25 CAP, along with assisting the DHS Office for Interoperability and Compatibility (OIC) in the administration of the Program.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 112 (Friday, June 10, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37628-37629]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-13730]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Office for Interoperability and Compatibility

[Docket No. DHS-2016-0037]


Office for Interoperability and Compatibility Seeks Nominations 
for the Project 25 Compliance Assessment Program Advisory Panel--Single 
Position

AGENCY: Science and Technology Directorate, DHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is seeking 
nominations and expressions of interest for replacing an open position 
on the Project 25 Compliance Assessment Program Advisory Panel (P25 CAP 
AP). The P25 CAP AP holds quarterly meetings with the public on topics 
related to P25 CAP. The next meeting is scheduled for August 2016 
timeframe.
    The Project 25 Compliance Assessment Program is a standard which 
enables interoperability among digital two-way land mobile radio 
communications products created by and for public safety professionals. 
The P25 CAP is a formal, independent process created by DHS and 
operated in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology (NIST), to ensure that communications equipment that is 
declared by the supplier to be P25 compliant, is in fact tested against 
the standards with publicly published results. The P25 CAP AP provides 
a resource by which DHS gains insight into the collective interest of 
organizations that procure P25-compliant equipment and a resource for 
DHS to continue to establish the policies of the P25 CAP, along with 
assisting the DHS Office for Interoperability and Compatibility (OIC) 
in the administration of the Program.

DATES: All responses must be received within 30 days from the date of 
this notice at the address listed below.

ADDRESSES: Expressions of interest and nominations shall be submitted 
to [email protected].
     Instructions: All submissions received must include the 
words ``Department of Homeland Security'' and DHS-2016-0037, the docket 
number for this action.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Merrill, Director, Office for 
Interoperability and Compatibility, Science and Technology Directorate, 
Department of Homeland Security, 202-254-5604, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The TIA-102/Project 25 (P25) is a standards development process for 
the design, manufacture, and evaluation of interoperable digital two-
way land mobile radio communications products created by and for public 
safety professionals. The goal of P25 is to specify formal standards 
for interfaces and features between the various components of a land 
mobile radio system commonly used by public safety agencies in portable 
handheld and mobile vehicle-mounted devices. The P25 standard enables 
interoperability among different suppliers' products.
    The P25 CAP was developed by DHS and the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology (NIST) to test equipment designed to comply 
with P25 standards. The program provides public safety agencies with 
evidence that the communications equipment they are purchasing is 
tested against and complies with the P25 standards for performance, 
conformance, and interoperability.
    The P25 CAP is a voluntary system that provides a mechanism for the 
recognition of testing laboratories based on internationally accepted 
standards. It identifies competent P25 CAP testing laboratories for 
DHS-recognition through a robust assessment process and promotes the 
acceptance of compliant test results from these laboratories.

[[Page 37629]]

    As a voluntary program, P25 CAP allows suppliers to publicly attest 
to their products' compliance with a selected group of requirements 
through Summary Test Report (STR) and Supplier's Declaration of 
Compliance (SDOC) documents based on the Detailed Test Report (DTR) 
from the DHS-recognized laboratory (ies) that performed the product 
testing. In turn, P25 CAP makes these documents available to the first 
response community to inform their purchasing decisions via the 
FirstResponder.gov/P25CAP Web site.

Membership

    The Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) of DHS formed the P25 
CAP Advisory Panel to provide S&T with the views of active State, 
local, tribal, territorial and Federal government officials who use or 
whose offices use portable handheld and mobile vehicle-mounted radios. 
Those government officials selected to participate in the P25 CAP AP 
are selected based on their experience with the management and 
procurement of land mobile radio systems or knowledge of conformity 
assessment programs and methods. The OIC selection process balances 
viewpoints required to effectively address P25 CAP issues under 
consideration. To fill an open position on the P25 CAP AP, OIC is 
particularly interested in receiving nominations and expressions of 
interest from individuals in the following categories:
     State, local, tribal, or territorial government agencies 
and organizations with expertise in communications issues and 
technologies.
     Federal government agencies with expertise in 
communications or homeland security matters.
    While OIC can call for a meeting of the P25 CAP AP as it deems 
necessary and appropriate, for member commitment and planning purposes, 
it is anticipated that the P25 CAP AP will meet approximately 3-4 times 
annually in their role of providing guidance and support to the P25 
CAP.
    Those selected to serve on the P25 CAP AP will be required to sign 
a gratuitous services agreement and will not be paid or reimbursed for 
their participation; however, DHS S&T will, subject to the availability 
of funds, reimburse the travel expenses associated with the 
participation of non-Federal members in accordance with Federal Travel 
Regulations. The OIC reserves the right to select primary and alternate 
members to the P25 CAP AP for terms appropriate for the accomplishment 
of the Board's mission. Members serve at the pleasure of the OIC 
Director.
    Registered lobbyists pursuant to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 
1995 are not eligible for membership on the P25 CAP AP and will not be 
considered.

Roles and Responsibilities

    The duties of the P25 CAP AP will include providing recommendations 
of its individual members to OIC regarding actions and steps OIC could 
take to promote the P25 CAP. The duties of the P25 CAP AP may include 
but are not limited to its members reviewing, commenting on, and 
advising on:
    a. The laboratory component of the P25 CAP under established, 
documented laboratory recognition guidelines.
    b. Proposed Compliance Assessment Bulletins (CABs).
    c. Proposed updates to previously approved CABs, as Notices of 
Proposed CABs, to enable comment and input on the proposed CAB 
modifications.
    d. OIC updates to existing test documents or establishing new test 
documents for new types of P25 equipment.
    e. Best practices associated with improvement of the policies and 
procedures by which the P25 CAP operates.
    f. Existing test documents including but not limited to Supplier 
Declarations of Compliance (SDOCs) and Summary Test Reports (STRs) 
posted on the FirstResponder.gov/P25CAP Web site.
    g. Proposed P25 user input for improving functionality through the 
standards-making process.

Nominations/Expressions of Interest Procedures and Deadline

    Nominations and expressions of interest shall be received by OIC no 
later than 30 days from the date of this notice at the address: 
([email protected]). Nominations and expressions of interest received 
after this date shall not be considered. Each nomination and expression 
of interest must provide the following information as part of the 
submission:
     A cover letter that highlights a history of proven 
leadership within the public safety community including, if applicable, 
a description of prior experience with law enforcement, fire response, 
emergency medical services, emergency communications, National Guard, 
or other first responder roles and how the use of communications in 
those roles qualifies the nominee to participate on the P25 CAP AP.
     Name, title, and organization of the nominee.
     A r[eacute]sum[eacute] summarizing the nominee's contact 
information (including the mailing address, phone number, facsimile 
number, and email address), qualifications, and expertise to explain 
why the nominee should be appointed to the P25 CAP AP.
     The r[eacute]sum[eacute] must demonstrate a minimum of ten 
years (10) years of experience directly using P25 systems in an 
operational environment in support of established public safety 
communications or from a system implementer/administrator perspective; 
a bachelor's or associate degree with an emphasis in communications and 
engineering may be substituted for three (3) years, a master's/
professional certification for seven (7) years, and a Ph.D. for ten 
(10) years of the requirement.
     The resume must discuss the nominee's familiarity with the 
current P25 CAP, including documents that are integral to the process 
such as the SDOCs, STRs, and CABs referenced in this notice.
     A letter from the nominee's supervisor indicating the 
nominee's agency's support for the nominee to participate on the P25 
CAP AP as a representative from their respective agency.
     Disclosure of Federal boards, commissions, committees, 
task forces, or work groups on which the nominee currently serves or 
has served within the past 12 months.
     A statement confirming that the nominee is not registered 
as a lobbyist pursuant to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995.

Additional information can be found as follows: Project 25 Compliance 
Assessment Program and Compliance Assessment Bulletins http://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/p25-cap.

     Dated: June 6, 2016.
Reginald Brothers,
Under Secretary, DHS Science and Technology Directorate.
[FR Doc. 2016-13730 Filed 6-9-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 9110-9F-P