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Commissioners say MSWIN 'worked as designed' during Winter Storm Fern; staff warn of aging generators
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Summary
Mississippi Wireless Communication Commission staff reported that the statewide MSWIN radio system maintained operations during Winter Storm Fern but warned that aging generators and fuel logistics are a vulnerability; staff outlined multiagency coordination and planned post-storm inspections.
At its Feb. 5 meeting in Jackson, Mississippi Wireless Communication Commission staff described how the statewide MSWIN radio system performed during Winter Storm Fern and flagged generator reliability and site maintenance as urgent priorities.
Dent Guynes, a WCC staff member, said preparation began the week before the storm with briefings from the National Weather Service in Jackson, staff planning meetings, internal communications plans and vendor coordination, including potential activation of the Motorola Emergency Response Team. "We coordinated with MEMA, CISA and our FEMA Region IV emergency communications coordinators and worked with neighboring states to ensure interoperability," Guynes said.
Mark Russell, WCC site operations staff, said 57 MSWIN tower sites automatically switched to generator power as electric service failed in affected areas. "Many of these generators ran for days and required refueling of the propane tanks and monitoring oil and coolant levels to ensure the generators didn't cut off," Russell said. Bobby Pugh tracked fuel and oil usage at each site and staff worked with county EMAs, sheriff's offices and MDOT to clear roads for vendor access.
The staff reported system metrics for January: 68,689 radio IDs/subscribers, 11.8 million push-to-talk events and 1,403 busies. Staff also told commissioners that they briefed House and Senate appropriations subcommittees on the WCC's FY2027 budget request as part of ongoing funding outreach.
Commission staff concluded that MSWIN "worked as designed," and emphasized three programmatic lessons: infrastructure (especially reliable generators) is a critical vulnerability, preexisting vendor and interagency relationships materially aided response, and many tower sites will need post-storm inspections and further maintenance. The staff thanked vendors and partners including Lampton-Love Propane/Ergon, the MS Forestry Commission, Motorola, Jackson Communications and Integrated Communications (Tupelo) for field repairs and fuel support.
Chairman Mandy Davis and commissioners praised the staff for sustained on-site work during the storm. The commission scheduled its next meeting for 1:30 p.m. on March 5, 2026, at the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks.