Texas shall establish and support effective communications governance which includes emergency communications and other stakeholders. The current governance body in place for emergency communications for the State of Texas is housed in the Department of Public Safety (DPS) and supported by Strategic Advisory Groups (SAGs). The Texas Interoperable Communications Commission (TxICC) is comprised of public safety communications representatives from public safety and incident response entities across the state and maintains chartered responsibility of the SCIP. The TxICC works in coordination with the Homeland Security Grants Division within the Office of the Governor to adopt the guidance provided by SAFECOM Grant Guidance and the National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP).
The TxICC established the SCIP Executive Council (SEC) consisting of one voting delegate from each of the 24 regions, from each of the three Tribal Nations, and one State Agency representative to serve as the official voting entity of the TxICC. The SEC reviews strategic goals, initiatives, and short- and long-range plans. SEC members will:
- Confirm, approve, and/or modify decisions (e.g. prioritized gaps) and reports developed by the TxICC.
- Actively participate in the TxICC.
- Have appropriate knowledge of communications equipment, systems, and procedures.
- Participate in routine meetings/webinars and training sessions.
- Act as the regional Public Safety Broadband champion.
- Meet annually at the SCIP Conference and additionally as needed.
The SWIC provides oversight and leadership to the TxICC. The SWIC:
- Oversees the implementation of all SCIP goals and initiatives.
- Chairs the TxICC and the SEC.
- Passes recommendations to the State Executive Leadership.
- Is the designated State-level point of contact for LMR and serves as the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to FirstNet.
- Has authority from the State and TxICC to convene SAGs on matters of interoperability as necessary.
Strategic Advisory Groups are stood up on an as-needed basis to address specific communications topics, and they are disbanded once a recommendation or finding is put forward. SAGs are ad hoc committees advising the SWIC, which are established to address key issues such as public safety broadband, developing a system of systems, improving training and exercises, and updating the Texas Statewide Interoperability Channel Plan. Additional SAGs will be appointed, as needed. If the TxICC membership-at-large does not have the skillset needed for the assignment, the SWIC may identify a specialist to work with the SAG
Through the unified voice of the TxICC and the SWIC, Texas works to achieve the highest level of voice and data communications interoperability. The TxICC is a voluntary organization of federal, state, local, tribal, and non-profit entities, including traditional emergency communications disciplines as well as public utilities, critical infrastructure/key resources providers, and transportation agencies. The TxICC owns and manages the SCIP as a strategic planning tool to help Texas public safety agencies prioritize resources, strengthen governance, identify future investments, and address interoperability gaps. The SWIC provides oversight and leadership to the TxICC SAGs, and they address key issues such as the Texas Public Safety Broadband Program, training and exercises, and funding. Figure 1 depicts the organizational structure of the TxICC.
TxICC: Texas's Emergency Communications Governance Structure
Contact Information
Statewide Interoperability Coordinator (SWIC)
Aaron Slaughter
Texas Statewide Interoperability Coordinator
Texas Department of Public Safety
TXSWIC@dps.texas.gov
Additional contact information
DPS Technical Assistance Unit
(512) 424-7134