Interoperable Communications Technical Assistance Program

The Interoperable Communications Technical Assistance Program (ICTAP) provides direct support to state, local, and tribal emergency responders and government officials across all 56 states and territories through training, tools, and onsite assistance to advance public safety interoperable communications capabilities.

Technical Assistance Service Offerings

Technical Assistance support covers all five lanes of the SAFECOM Interoperability Continuum, a tool developed by stakeholders and approved by DHS. These services, which are provided at no cost, include instruction and assistance with the planning, governance, operational, and technical aspects of developing and implementing interoperable communications initiatives.

Technical Assistance service offerings are designed to help emergency responders continue to communicate during disasters or large-scale planned events. These offerings support Statewide Communication Interoperability Plans (SCIPs) and the National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP), the first strategic plan designed to increase interoperability across the Nation. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has completed over 1,000 Technical Assistance engagements in all 56 states and territories, ranging from Communications Leader Training (COML) to engineering studies of microwave backhaul.

CISA Technical Assistance services fall into the following general categories:

• Coordinated statewide governance - such as the State Mapping Tool and Interoperable Communications Reference Guides
• Comprehensive emergency communications planning - like SCIPs, Tactical Interoperable Communications Plan (TICPs), and Field Operations Guides (FOGs)
• Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) planning and implementation
• Data operability and interoperability
• Alerts and warnings
• Broadband deployment
• Cybersecurity education and awareness
• Communications unit planning and procedures

CISA provides a Technical Assistance Catalog of service offerings and has expanded it as a direct result of stakeholder feedback. The catalog features new and updated offerings to support planning for broadband, radio re-programming for narrow-banding, and workshops for dispatch and mobile communications vehicles operations. 

Communications Assets Survey and Mapping

CISA has developed several automated tools and training for emergency communications. The Communications Assets Survey and Mapping (CASM) Tool helps jurisdictions inventory their public safety emergency communications capabilities and assets and enables public safety organizations to share information on communication equipment. 

How to Request Technical Assistance Offerings/SCIP Offerings

CISA provides a portfolio of no-cost technical assistance services and will prioritize supporting strategic initiatives through efforts such as the National Governors Association (NGA) workshop goals and State Interoperability Markers. In 2018, CISA and the NGA partnered to conduct governance workshops across the nation that supported each state/territory in collaborating to identify goals to address challenges related to governance. Additionally, in 2019 CISA supported states and territories in establishing an interoperability baseline assessment by measuring progress against 25 markers. These markers describe a state or territory’s level of interoperability “health”.

New TA Approach: Requests for assistance are coordinated through the SWIC from each state and territory. This year there are three different categories of TAs:

• Strategic: Support that can be leveraged to directly support the implementation of the 2019 NECP, most recent SCIP, NGA workshop goals, and/or State Interoperability Markers
• State-Requested: Support for the state or territory’s normal, day-to-day operations and activities related to emergency communications
• Major Event Support: Support for planned and unplanned events that are designated as National Special Security Event (NSSE)/Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR), or are the result of a natural or manmade disaster