[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 83 (Friday, April 29, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23992-23993]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-10436]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Meeting To Review and Solicit Input on Tests for Inclusion in the 
Project 25 Compliance Assessment Program

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 
Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce's (DOC) National Institute of 
Standards and Technology (NIST), Law Enforcement Standards Office 
(OLES), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security 
(DHS) Office for Interoperability and Compatibility (OIC), will hold a 
public meeting on May 13, 2011, via teleconference. The purpose of the 
meeting is to gather input for the development of conformance and 
interoperability tests for select Project 25 (P25) conventional mode 
features and functionalities. These tests are developed for the DHS/OIC 
P25 Compliance Assessment Program (CAP) Governing Board (GB) and will 
be incorporated into P25 CAP Compliance Assessment Bulletins (CABs).

DATES: The meeting will be held via teleconference at 1 p.m. Eastern 
Daylight Time on Friday, May 13, 2011. Members of the public wishing to 
attend the meeting must register by Friday, May 6, 2011. Please see 
registration instructions in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 
below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dereck Orr, Department of Commerce, 
NIST, 300 Broadway St., Boulder, CO 80305. Telephone: (303) 497-5400. 
E-mail: [email protected]. More information about DHS/OIC can be 
found at http://www.safecomprogram.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Emergency responders--emergency medical 
technicians, fire personnel, and law enforcement officers--need to 
seamlessly exchange communications across disciplines and jurisdictions 
in order to successfully respond to day-to-day incidents and large-
scale emergencies. P25 focuses on developing standards that allow 
radios and other components to interoperate, regardless of the 
manufacturer. In turn, these standards enable emergency responders to 
seamlessly exchange critical communications with other disciplines and 
jurisdictions.
    An initial goal of P25 is to specify formal standards for 
interfaces between the components of a land mobile radio (LMR) system. 
LMR systems are commonly used by emergency responders in portable 
handheld and mobile vehicle-mounted devices. Although formal standards 
are being developed, no process is currently in place to confirm that 
LMR equipment advertised as P25-compliant meets all aspects of P25 
standards.
    To address discrepancies between P25 standards and industry 
equipment, DHS and NIST established the P25 CAP. The P25 CAP is a 
partnership between the DHS/OIC; NIST; industry; and the emergency 
response community.
    The P25 CAP provides an independent process for evaluating P25 
equipment for standards compliance and interoperability across 
manufacturers. By providing manufacturers with a method to consistently 
test their equipment for compliance with P25 standards and consistently 
report the results of such testing, the P25 CAP helps emergency 
response officials make informed purchasing decisions.
    The P25 CAP requires test laboratories to demonstrate their 
competence through a rigorous and objective assessment process. Such a 
process promotes the user community's confidence in, and acceptance of, 
test results from DHS-recognized laboratories. All equipment suppliers 
that participate in the P25 CAP must use recognized laboratories to 
conduct performance, conformance, and interoperability tests on their 
products. P25 equipment suppliers will release Summary Test Reports and 
Suppliers' Declarations of Compliance based on testing from 
laboratories recognized by DHS.
    Created by DHS/OIC, CABs describe how the P25 CAP operates and 
address issues related to the Program. The scope of a CAB can range 
from policy to guidance, covering issues such as specific test 
standards to be used for a particular P25 interface, or P25 LMR Request 
for Proposal guidance.
    The purpose of the meeting is to gather input for the development 
of conformance and interoperability tests for select P25 conventional 
mode features and functionalities. These tests are developed for the 
DHS/OIC Project 25 (P25) Compliance Assessment Program (CAP) Governing 
Board (GB) and will be incorporated into P25 CAP Compliance Assessment 
Bulletins (CABs).
    At the meeting, NIST will accept input on conformance or 
interoperability tests, or both, for the following, prioritized 
features and functionalities:
     Conventional squelch.
     Emergency alarm.
     Emergency group voice call.
     Group voice call.
     Radio unit monitoring.
     Transport of Talking Party Identification.
     Late Entry.
     Location Services.
     Radio unit inhibit/uninhibit.
     Unaddressed voice call.
     Encryption.
     Over The Air Rekeying (OTAR).
     Emergency Cancel.
     All Call.
    At the May 13 meeting, NIST will also solicit comments on what 
appropriate criteria should be used for assessing a conformance tests' 
suitability for inclusion in the P25 CAP. The following criteria are 
provided as a basis for comment:
     Does the conformance test limit devices in the test 
environment to the device under test and appropriate, validated test 
equipment?
     Are all packet types tested that are relevant to the 
functionality under test?
     Are all call/message types tested relevant to the 
functionality under test?
     Is packet/message order checked relevant to the 
functionality under test?
     Are all information and reserved fields tested within 
message packets relevant to the functionality under test?
     For all information fields relevant to the feature under 
test, is a linearly independent set of values used across the entire 
allowable range?
     Where behavior of a product is specified for parameter 
values outside of the normal or permissible range, are these values 
tested?
     Is timing between subsequent packets identified?
     Is radio behavior checked if events occur before/after 
time-out?
     Are repeater inbound and outbound packets ``paired'' and 
timing relationship between the two quantified?
     Are all of the different combinations of status bits 
tested where relevant to a feature under test?
     Does the test standard define the detailed procedural 
steps necessary for a test operator to perform the test consistently 
across multiple laboratories?
    Additionally, NIST is seeking comment on what appropriate criteria

[[Page 23993]]

should be used for assessing an interoperability tests' suitability for 
inclusion in the P25 CAP. The following criteria are provided as a 
basis for comment:
     For all information fields relevant to the feature under 
test, is a linearly independent set of values used across the entire 
allowable range?
     Is timing between subsequent packets identified related to 
transmission or reception of voice or message/alarm examined?
     Can functionality already be tested using other P25 CAP-
recognized testing criteria?
     Does the interoperability test procedure address and test 
adverse responses due to configurations of parameter values outside the 
normal or permissible range?
     Does the test procedure accommodate evaluation of a test 
article's behavior where multiple defined responses are possible?
     If capable, does each unit under test perform the roles of 
both transmitter and receiver during the test?
     Does the test provide definitive predictive outcomes 
(behaviors) for all articles under test?
    More information about the P25 CAP is available at http://www.safecomprogram.gov. More information about NIST/OLES can be found 
at http://www.nist.gov/oles/.
    Registration: Anyone wishing to attend this teleconference must 
express interest by the close of business on Friday, May 6, 2011. 
Please submit your name, e-mail address, and phone number to Corey 
Reynolds, [email protected], and he will provide logistics 
information for the call.
    To be considered at the meeting, written comments and input on the 
features and functionalities and conformance and interoperability test 
criteria should be submitted to Corey Reynolds, 
[email protected] by Friday, May 6, 2011. Verbal comments 
will also be heard at the teleconference.

    Dated: April 26, 2011.
Katharine B. Gebbie,
Director, Physical Measurement Laboratory.
[FR Doc. 2011-10436 Filed 4-28-11; 8:45 am]
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