Month: November 2016

Arizona Extends RFP Deadline Until November 30

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November 2, 2016-The state of Arizona has extended from Oct. 31 to Nov. 30 the deadline to submit bids in response to its public safety broadband network request for proposals (RFPs). The action came after the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) recently announced that it wouldn’t make its Nov. 1 goal of awarding a contract (TRDaily, Oct. 27). Last month, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) for a second time extended its deadline for bids on its RFP (TRDaily, Oct. 14). Bids on the state’s RFP are now due the 15th business day after FirstNet announces a contract.

Courtesy TRDaily

IoT Security Mandates Create Risk of Harming Market, Report Says

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November 2, 2016–Policy-makers face a difficult challenge in trying to ensure the security of Internet of things devices because of the uncertainty of the security risks and the danger that regulation could inhibit a nascent marketplace, according to a report today from Silicon Flatirons.

“It is important that regulators not overreact as IoT is still in the early stages of development,” the report said.  “There are enormous potential benefits to society and consumers from IoT technology.  By focusing on precautionary measures (and the precautionary principle), regulators run the risk of harming innovation.”

“A national strategy on IoT would help advance IoT deployment and monitor changing circumstances,” the report added.  “Such an effort could seek to enhance security on existing models, particularly through collaborative, standards-based approaches and industry-led certifications based on these standards.” Continue reading →

O’Brien Disappointed by FirstNet Rejection

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pdvWireless, Inc., Vice Chairman Morgan O’Brien said he’s disappointed that the bid his company submitted to the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) on behalf of a consortium in response to FirstNet’s request for proposals (RFP) was dropped from consideration (TRDaily, Oct. 18), but he praised the bidding team that was assembled, FirstNet representatives, and the RFP. In a column for “IWCE’s Urgent Communications,” Mr. O’Brien said that the consortium, Code3 Broadband, submitted a 1,500-page proposal.

“Over the course of our pursuit of this objective, I’ve often been asked for my evaluation of the RFP process and how I would extrapolate from that process to predict the likely outcome. It’s no secret that many observers would have liked nothing better than to have had me corroborate their own view that FirstNet is a disaster in the making and that nothing good will come of it,” he said. “To those doubters, let me repeat here what I’ve been saying:  I was impressed by the caliber of the team that was fielded by FirstNet and by their professionalism in digging into the intentions, qualifications and composition of the Code3 Broadband consortium. I can only assume that the same thoroughness was employed in the analysis of our competition, even though I remain convinced that selecting Code3 would have been a superb choice for public safety. I think the potential users of this network—the intended beneficiaries of a novel approach to making communications safer and better—are in good hands with FirstNet.” Continue reading →

Poth Says FirstNet Won’t Trade Quality for Expediency in Awarding Contract

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November 2, 2016–First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) Chief Executive Officer Mike Poth said today that he “will not trade quality for expediency” in making a decision on the award of a contract to a partner to build and operate a nationwide public safety broadband network. Mr. Poth announced last week that FirstNet would miss its Nov. 1 goal of announcing a contract award (TRDaily, Oct. 27).

“FirstNet is poised to take the next big step forward with the procurement. Some of you may recall the old proverb – measure a thousand times, cut once,” he said in the text of remarks delivered today at IWCE’s Critical LTE Communications Forum in Chicago. “I will not trade quality for expediency. I will not trade conducting a thorough, fair, balanced evaluation of all offers to hit a date. And I will not allow delays from FirstNet. Any delays will not be from FirstNet or the government.”

Mr. Poth continued, “We are moving very quickly – public safety is counting on us. Our state and local partners are counting on us. The Federal government is counting on us. We set the November 1st target date last December prior to issuing the RFP. We purposely set an aggressive target because we felt it was very important to put that target out there and it has helped to move the process along. We gave industry 5 months to review and submit offers, answering hundreds of questions and even extending the due date to allow sufficient time for offers. For the last 5 months we have been carefully evaluating each and every offer in a fair, balanced, structured, and measured way.” Continue reading →

DoD “All In” on Spectrum Sharing, Deputy CIO Tells Industry Group

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November 2, 2016–The Department of Defense is “all in on sharing spectrum,” the agency’s deputy chief information officer in charge of communications said today, but she also stressed its “trust but verify approach to sharing.” In keynote remarks this morning , Maj. Gen. Sandra Finan, deputy DoD CIO-command, control, communications and computers (C4) and information infrastructure capabilities, said at an annual event organized by 5G Americas that government and commercial spectrum planners must collaborate on sharing of frequencies.

“We all have to be at this table together,” she said. “This means sharing by design at early planning stages of new government and commercial systems and with regard to policy changes to access federal and non-federal bands.”

“We support a trust but verify approach to sharing,” Gen. Finan said. “We’re all in on sharing spectrum, trying to make spectrum available.”

Like wireless carriers, the military needs access to a wide range of bands, the general stressed, and she said that federal access to non-federal spectrum can help warfighters train. Like other DoD officials have stressed in the past, the general emphasized that a growing number of military operations, everything from sensors to unmanned aerial systems, rely on spectrum in order to ensure the U.S. stays ahead of its adversaries.  “Spectrum is the maneuver space behind nearly all operations,” she said. “Spectrum innovation is an important part of how we fight.” Continue reading →

NARUC Proposes Resolutions on Lifeline Waivers, Access to Etc Data

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November 2, 2016–The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners is slated to consider four telecommunications resolutions when it convenes later this month in Palm Springs, Calif., for its annual meeting.

The draft resolutions slated for the Telecommunications Committee’s Nov. 14 agenda include a resolution supporting waivers of the effective date of the federal Lifeline eligibility criteria, and another resolution calling on the FCC to ensure timely access to Connect America Fund (CAF) eligible telecommunications carrier (ETC) reporting data. Also up for debate will be a resolution to assure states a “meaningful opportunity” to comment on voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP) applications for telephone numbers, and a resolution concerning more ubiquitous 10-digit dialing when ordering an all-services overlay in an effort to help facilitate the IP transition.

The first proposed resolution supports a petition filed last month by the U.S. Telecom Association for a limited-time waiver of portions of the Commission’s Lifeline and Link Up reform and modernization order approved earlier this year in light of what it said are the “legitimate concerns” of multiple stakeholders “regarding the inconsistencies between federal and state eligibility criteria resulting from the Lifeline order.” USTelecom said in its petition that it explained those inconsistencies in a June 23 petition for reconsideration of the Lifeline order, and said its most recent petition “seeks a limited-time waiver of the revised rules 54.400(j) and 54.409(a), and applicable sections of the Lifeline order, to permit Lifeline providers to continue enrolling consumers in the federal Lifeline program based on state-specific program and income eligibility criteria” in 25 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Continue reading →

Springfield police will scramble all radio communications, citing ‘criminal element’ that listens to scanners, MassLive.com – MA

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Beginning Thursday, the Police Department will encrypt its police radio transmissions, with the scrambling of messages on private scanners intended to protect officer safety, according to a department spokesman.  Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Police Commissioner John Barbieri, in a press release issued Wednesday at 5:35 p.m., said the encrypted radio transmissions are part of a recent project to upgrade to the police radio transmission system.  Sgt. John Delaney, an aide to Barbieri, said the “criminal element” are among the people listening to police scanners, to help follow what the police are doing and to aid their crimes. It also poses a danger to police, he said. Springfield police will scramble all radio communications, citing ‘criminal element’ that listens to scanners

OEC Outreach Clips: FirstNet will follow federal procurement rules, but delays in the process will not be allowed, CEO Poth says, Source Urgent Communications

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FirstNet will not cut procedural corners or accept unnecessary delays as it enters the final stages of the procurement to select a contractor that will be tasked to build and maintain a nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) for the next 25 years, FirstNet CEO Mike Poth said yesterday.  Although FirstNet did not meet the Nov. 1 target date for announcing its contractor selection, Poth said he is “extremely encouraged by the progress” to date. Reiterating a commitment outlined in a blog he authored last week, Poth stressed the importance of the FirstNet procurement following all steps outlined in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and that FirstNet “do it right” when selecting its contractor team. FirstNet will follow federal procurement rules, but delays in the process will not be allowed, CEO Poth says

Motorola Seeks Recon of Part 90 Order

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November 1, 2016–Motorola Solutions, Inc., has filed a petition for partial reconsideration of a part 90 FCC order released in August (TRDaily, Aug. 22). The order was adopted along with a further notice of proposed rulemaking. In its filing yesterday in PS dockets 13-87 and 06-229 and WT docket 96-86, Motorola said the FCC “should either postpone the effective date or, alternatively, suspend enforcement of the new rule provisions until complementary proposals affecting Section 90.548 that are subject of the Further Notice in this same proceeding are addressed in a future order.” Continue reading →

OEC Outreach Clips: What could go wrong? Here are some sources of potential unwanted delays in FirstNet deployment, Source Urgent Communications

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FirstNet’s procurement includes an aggressive phased deployment plan throughout the United States. There are myriad potential sources for significant delays, including procurement protests, legal challenges, state opt-out decisions, financial matters and political/logistical issues. Almost never addressed directly in a public setting, such delays have been discussed privately almost from the establishment of FirstNet and have been the “elephant in the room” for many discussions addressing deployment and operational timeframes. What could go wrong? Here are some sources of potential unwanted delays in FirstNet deployment