Office for Interoperability and Compatibility

The Office for Interoperability and Compatibility (OIC) provides local, tribal, territorial, state and federal stakeholders with the tools, technologies, methodologies and guidance to enable improved communications interoperability at all levels of government. OIC manages a comprehensive research, development, testing, evaluation and standards program to enhance interoperable emergency communications.

Emergency responders—police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians—need to share vital voice, video and data information across disciplines and jurisdictions to successfully respond to both day-to-day incidents and large-scale emergencies. Unfortunately, for decades, inadequate and unreliable communications systems have compromised their ability to perform mission-critical duties. Responders often have difficulty communicating when adjacent agencies are assigned to different radio bands, use incompatible proprietary systems and infrastructure or lack adequate standard operating procedures and effective multi-jurisdictional, multi-disciplinary governance structures.

OIC executes activities across two portfolios: Voice, Video and Data Communications and the Responder Technology Alliance. The Voice, Video, and Data Communications portfolio addresses the means through which first responders send and receive information. The Responder Technology Alliance (RTA) portfolio aims to develop integrated systems that improve first responder safety and effectiveness. Further, RTA leads visioning, planning and management of homeland security industrial base and venture capitalist initiatives to enable collaborative commercialization of technologies.

OIC supports the capacity for increased levels of interoperability by developing tools, best practices, technologies and methodologies that emergency response agencies can immediately put into effect. OIC is committed to working in partnership with all stakeholders to address critical emergency response communication needs with programs that advocate a “bottom-up” approach.