Two private

communications companies interested in Fayette County and Peachtree City's

public safety frequencies may be the link to a brand-new radio system

at little or no cost to local taxpayers.

A new system

could improve communications between local public safety workers, thus

improving their ability to serve local residents.

Cheryl Rogers,

director of the Fayette County 911 Communication Center, said Nextel and

Southern Company have bought the rights to the Fayette and Peachtree City

frequencies from the Federal Communications Commission. While this doesn't

force Fayette or Peachtree City to give up the frequencies, it does create

an interesting situation.

If the companies

choose to, they can negotiate with local authorities for the frequencies,

Rogers explained.

"Forest

Park was contacted recently and offered a very nice package," Rogers

said. She added that the two companies own the same frequencies in areas

next to Fayette County, although Fayette should have a protected radius

of 70 miles.

Just in case

an acceptable offer is proposed, Fayette has already reserved a new set

of frequencies which will be in the "protected" spectrum designated

for public safety agencies, Rogers said. When Fayette and Peachtree City

got their new frequencies almost 10 years ago, they were placed in a commercial

spectrum, lumping their frequencies in with those used for cab companies,

trucking operators and other similar businesses.

Moving up to

the 821 mhz range will help improve the system by blocking out interference

that currently bombards the radio but doesn't affect transmissions, Rogers

said. The catch is that new FCC regulations will require several more

antennas to be used so Fayette's radios don't transmit more than five

miles outside the county line, she added.

More antennas

would also improve communications with mobile radio units worn by public

safety employees so they don't have to use their vehicles' radios, Rogers

said. Fayette's natural terrain creates a few "dead spots" where

transmissions have a lot of static, she said.

A new county

radio system would also allow for seamless communications with Peachtree

City's radio system, whereas now it takes a few extra steps to do so,

Rogers said.

Officials plan

to hire a consultant to study which radio system should be selected in

the upgrade, Rogers said. One of the many factors to be considered is

whether the county should build its own towers for the new antennas or

lease space on existing towers, she added.

"The biggest

thing is making sure we make the most cost-effective choices," Rogers

said. "... We provide a high-quality service but we want to make

sure that we get the best system we can for the money."

About $100,000

has been set aside in the county budget to pay for the consultant, although

Rogers said she wasn't sure that much would be needed after the consultant's

work is finished. There are plenty of companies out there to choose from,

she said.

Although she

wants the most bang for the taxpayer's bucks, Rogers is also cautious

about getting caught up in too much technology.

"I don't

want to push the envelope and end up with a system that won't work,"

she said.

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