- The system now covers more than 97% of the state and has roughly 69,000 subscribers in all but two counties.
With less than two weeks left in the regular legislative session, the Mississippi Wireless Communication Commission (MWCC) asked a joint committee for additional funding to maintain and update the state’s wireless information network.
The Mississippi Wireless Information Network (MSWIN) is the state’s emergency responder communication network that is also used by multiple other governmental and non-governmental agencies.
Work to build out the system started in 2009 along the Gulf Coast and has since expanded throughout the state. It now covers more than 97% of the state and has roughly 69,000 subscribers across most counties in Mississippi. Only two counties, Jackson and Harrison, are not utilizing the system currently.
The system generates about $1.5 million of revenue annually and is operated and maintained by nine staff, Executive Director of the MWCC Karana Carroll told a joint legislative committee of House and Senate members during Tuesday’s hearing. It was built out to be reliable and operational for 20 or more years, meaning by 2032 the infrastructure will need to be updated due to a lack of support by the manufacturer of key components after that time.
To maintain and future proof the system, Carroll asked the joint committee for $25 million over 10 years to maintain the existing system, and nearly $150 million to completely update the system before the 2032 deadline. The $150 million ask includes $28 million to update the microwave components used by the network. Carroll said those need to be updated as well due to the impending end of support for those systems by the manufacturer.
She estimates it would take about four years to update the entire system, so she asked the joint committee to consider providing those funds sooner rather than later.
With the request coming in so late in the legislative session, State Senator Bart Williams (R) said it would more than likely not be considered before sine die, or the end of this session, but discussions will take place in the off season as lawmakers plan for next year.
Since the new system has alleviated many of the dead spots in the state resulting in more reliable communication system for police, fire, emergency management and other personnel, keeping the system operational is a concern. During the hearing it was said that bus drivers, road crews and even linemen for power companies have been known to use the system.
Carroll said the system proved its resilience during the recent Winter Storm Fern. Since the system is considered hardened, which means there are several layers of redundancy in power delivery, it’s “time up” during the days after the storm was at 99.7% within the affected counties.
Carroll described how the towers have not only propane generators that provide fuel level updates to staff remotely, but there are also uninterruptible power supplies on each tower that can last for hours depending on the number of batteries installed.
During Fern, the towers utilized 7,700 generator hours while using 26,000 gallons of propane over the 17 days of power outages to stay in operation. There were some issues, as 11 generators needed repairs during the aftermath of the storm and oil had to be refilled since propane generators typically burn oil while running.
“It wasn’t perfect, we are man-made, man-built and man-maintained,” Carroll described. “We are not perfect but we did a pretty good job during that storm.”
Several first responders from the affected counties also professed to the reliability of the system before the senators and representatives attending the hearing.
“Everything that went on during Fern, one thing we did not have to worry about or didn’t have a single hiccup on was MSWIN,” Panola County Emergency Management Agency Director Daniel Cole said. “It was the one thing that worked flawlessly during ice storm Fern.”
