Month: January 2015

New Mexico Agrees with Interior to Share Towers for FirstNet

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Mission Critical magazine reports New Mexico, one of five early builders with spectrum lease agreements with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), is leveraging the assets of federal agencies that operate in the state and partnering with another early builder for its core network services.  New Mexico has negotiated a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Department of Interior and will use the document as a foundation for an agreement with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The border security collaborative effort with CBP, in particular, will focus on the identification of illegal incursions and the integration of real-time sensor data to aid in interdiction and arrest.

http://mccmag.com/newsArticle.cfm?news_id=11541

 

 

Leveraging Wi-Fi, beacons as part of indoor-location solution ideal for active-shooter incidents, Guardly says

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Courtesy Urgent Communications:  Toronto-based Guardly says it can leverage a burgeoning technology—beacons—to provide accurate and specific indoor-location information quickly during an active-shooter incident.  Guardly’s Enterprise E911 solution is a smartphone application that uses indoor-positioning-system (IPS) technologies—specifically Wi-Fi and beacons—to pinpoint a person’s location inside a building, down to the room and floor level, according to Guardly CEO Rob Moffat.

The solution can help security personnel quickly locate an active shooter—a critical factor, because most shootings are over by the time first responders arrive on the scene—and provide real-time information to law enforcement from those in the building.   http://urgentcomm.com/wlan/leveraging-wi-fi-beacons-part-indoor-location-solution-ideal-active-shooter-incidents-guardly-s?NL=UC-03&Issue=UC-03_20141223_UC-03_517&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_4&YM_RID=CPEQW000001110356&YM_MID=2182 Continue reading →

Andy Seybold’s Public Safety Advocate, December 19, 2014

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The pace of the news is picking back up when it comes to items of interest to the Public Safety community. It seems that each passing week brings news of yet another country planning to allocate the 700-MHz band for LTE services. This, of course, is good for device prices, and hopefully Public Safety broadband systems as well. Also this week but not featured in the news was the NTIA’s release of the job opening for the Executive Director of FirstNet. This position was called the General Manager but has since been upgraded to Executive Director. Today TJ Kennedy is filling the role of Acting General Manger, and I would have to assume he is in contention for this position. I have a few comments about this particular posting, which can be found here: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/389363200.

Continue reading →

FCC Releases PSAP Text-to-911 Instructions

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The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau has released certification and registration instructions for public safety answering points (PSAPs) that want wireless carriers and other providers of interconnected text messaging services to deliver text-to-911 messages.

Courtesy TRDaily

800 MHz Transition Completed in Nine Regions

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The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security and Wireless Telecommunications bureaus have announced the completion in nine NPSPAC regions of 800 megahertz band reconfiguration. As a result, the post-banding channel plan is now in effect in regions 12 (Idaho), 16 (Kansas), 17 (Kentucky), 24 (Missouri), 25 (Montana), 30 (Eastern upstate New York), 44 (West Virginia), 55 (Western upstate New York), and 64 (American Samoa). Meanwhile, the 800 MHz band transition administrator said in a quarterly report dated Dec. 29 that physical retuning was complete for 99.8% of non-border State 1 licensees and 96.5% of non-border Stage 2 licensees as of Sept. 30, 2014. The percentages were 100% for Stage 1 licensees on the Canadian border and 89.7% for Stage 2 licensees on that border. On the Mexican border, the percentages were 5.7% and 4.1%, respectively.

Courtesy TRDaily

NPSTC’s Recommendation, Robert Brown, Chosen to Serve on FCC Task Force on Optimal PSAP Architecture

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NPSTC’s recommendation, Robert Brown, Information Technology (IT) Manager, for the New Hampshire Division of Emergency Services and Communications has been chosen to serve on the 25-member Task Force on Optimal Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Architecture. “The members represent a diverse and balanced mix of viewpoints from state, tribal and/or local government agencies and organizations; Federal government agencies; communications service providers and organizations representing them; 911/NG911 system service providers; public interest organizations; and other experts,” the agency said in a public notice. Additional members could be announced later. The first meeting of the group is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 26. “As authorized under the FACA, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau anticipates creating sub-task groups to focus on recommendations in specific functional areas, including (but not limited to) optimal PSAP network security risk management and defense practices; identifying appropriate cost recovery and funding mechanisms that will facilitate PSAP transitions to IP-enabled architecture; improving 911 functionality and cost-effectiveness through consolidated network architecture design and operation; consideration of FCC and state/local roles in the oversight of NG911-enabled PSAPs; and projected long-term public benefits from post-transition PSAPs,” the public notice added.