By Rupert Howell

If you weren’t watching on Friday, October 21 you probably didn’t notice the 299 foot tower being erected on MDOT property near the Highway 6 and 51 intersection.

It appeared that three men and a crane erected the structure in one day, but plans  for the system have been in the works for several years according to MDOT’s director of enforcement Willie Huff.

Huff, who also serves on the Mississippi Wireless Communication commission with 15 other members, said the new tower is just a part of a 146 tower network, Mississippi Wireless Interoperable, that connects state, federal and local agencies together, especially during natural disasters.

Also, three mobile sites are placed in different areas of the state and can be moved, set up and running within six to eight hours.

Huff explained that the system is considered a “survivable communication system” meaning that it has redundant components so that if one tower  or component goes down, communication is routed around the problem site through the system’s microwave connection. He also explained that each site can operate independently.

Huff said the local tower and components cost approximately $1.1 million and was funded partly by state bonds and partly by $140 million in federal grants obtained by Governor Haley Barbour.

“No, but efforts intensified after Katrina,” Huff said when asked if that was when the system was first considered.

Agencies such as MDOT, MDWFP, MHP, Department of Homeland Security and other agencies are currently using the system and Huff said other local agencies, such as rural fire departments, may want to get connected.

Panola County’s Homeland Security Director Daniel cole said his office, the Panola County Sheriff’s dispatcher and the City of Batesville’s agencies were all connected but not as their main communication source.

He explained that maintenance fees and equipment cost prohibited full implementation but the Mississippi Wireless Interoperable could be reached through dispatch.