A new trade association has been established to focus on advocacy of interest to “public service” and “public transit” government agencies. “We monitor, advise and advocate policies important to our members and work within the wireless technology and communications communities to support and encourage adoption by regulatory bodies,” says Chris Lougee, president of the Government Wireless Technology & Communications Association (GWTCA).

A news release said that a key goal of the new group “is to ensure access to spectrum for all wireless technologies, in all bands and modes of operation, while balancing the needs of the Public Transit/Public Service community with those of Public Safety and the Business/Industrial communities.” Continue reading →

New Jersey officials and Rutgers teamed to announce Sept. 7 the statewide implementation of a new text-to-9-1-1 system and introduce a promotional video to drive home the message of “Call when you can … text when you can’t.”  Text to 9-1-1 allows individuals to contact emergency services for assistance by text instead of voice calling. Rutgers is hosting the rollout event to help reach its community of students, faculty and staff and to highlight the university’s role in dispatching all text-to-9-1-1 messages for residents of Middlesex County.  Read more here: New Jersey Rolls Out Statewide Text to 9-1-1

LAS VEGAS— The Department of Homeland Security has put together a list of 300 cyber threats from responses to a request for information to be used in its upcoming report to Congress on cyber threats and defenses, but “there’s no way we’re going to Congress with a list of 300 threats; we’ll be paring that down a bit,” Vincent Sritapan, program manager for mobile security R&D at DHS, told an audience at CTIA’s Super Mobility 2016 conference during a late afternoon panel on cybersecurity yesterday.

Panelists Matthew Scholl, chief of the Computer Security Division at the National Institute for Standards and Technology, and Glenn Reynolds, chief of staff at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, agreed that being small, nonregulatory agencies is helpful in gaining cooperation from private-sector firms.

Being “small, nonregulatory, transparent, not-classified” contributes to “good outcomes,” Mr. Scholl said.  He added, “One of the primary public-private partnerships in the U.S. is the work government and industry does together with industry leading in national and international standard-setting.”

Mr. Reynolds said, “We’re also small and nonregulatory and at Commerce. … I think those are extremely important characteristics in public-private partnerships.”

John O’Connor, assistant deputy director for national cyber and communications integration at DHS, said, “We’ve long had a paradigm where we share with industry.” —Lynn Stanton, lynn.stanton@wolterskluwer.com

Courtesy TRDaily

Rep. Norma J. Torres (D., Calif.) wrote the Office of Management and Budget today to object to its classification of 911 dispatchers as an “Office and Administrative Support Occupation” in the draft Standard Occupational Classification (SOC), and she urged OMB to classify the position as a “Protective Service Occupation.”

“I know firsthand that public safety telecommunicators are not just support staff, but are integral members of first responder teams who do far more than answer a phone and send help,” the congresswoman wrote. “During critical incidents such as large fires, civil unrest, or weather related incidents, telecommunicators are mobilized just like police and fire personnel. My fellow dispatchers also work in life-or-death situations, often talking to callers in their greatest hour of need. As a former dispatcher I know firsthand that on any given day, they may take a call from an individual on the brink of committing suicide or must gather key information if a crime is in progress to be later be used in court. In fact, conversations between dispatchers and suspects are often Miranda exempt, and testimony from dispatchers can serve as critical evidence in court proceedings.”

“It is clear that our dispatchers do not simply provide administrative support but are an important part of the first responder community,” the letter added. “This is a specialized occupation that requires professionals to think critically and use skills and training that are vital to the lifesaving efforts of first responders. I sincerely hope OMB will take these factors into account as it adopts its revised SOC and therefore urge you to categorize public safety telecommunicators appropriately as a ‘Protective Service Occupation.’”

“We very much appreciate the support of Rep. Torres, especially given her background as a former 9-1-1 professional herself,” said Derek Poarch, chief executive officer and executive director of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International. “Her advocacy is a major boost to the efforts of APCO members who are fighting to achieve the recognition they deserve for protecting and saving lives every day.” – Paul Kirby, paul.kirby@wolterskluwer.com