First State-Wide Hook-Up

Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell claimed his state was the first in the nation, “to have a common radio channel in place,” after technicians turned on $1 million in radio gear for cross-banding transmissions from different systems. “This is a major step forward, and Connecticut’s system will now be viewed as a model for the rest of the country,” Rell said in a press release. The channel will virtualized through use of the existing state police radio network, some existing local agency radios and new radios that are all able to cross-patch to the state network. Local agencies will be able to use some of a $13 million federal grant to make their new radio purchases, the governor noted.