The WSR-88D system is a recognized tool of necessity throughout the world's meteorological organizations and has proven to be invaluable in the detection and monitoring of severe weather systems. The extent to which the system may support NWS, FAA, and AFWA operations, as well as meteorological research, is limited in part by how and to whom the data is provided. Working with the NEXRAD Product Improvement (NPI) Program, the designers of the communications subsystems are working to provide robust, extensible, and affordable components to provide WSR-88D data where it is needed, to whoever needs it, when it is needed. There are three major functional areas provided with the communications subsystem; base (or wide band) data interface between the RDA and the RPG, base data distribution, and product (or narrow band) data distribution. This paper describes these three functional areas, how they will be used in the NPI or open systems era, and what research and development the National Weather Service has done over the past two years to support those functional areas