Month: January 2017

Australia to Auction Future 700 MHz Licenses for Commercial Networks

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The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is inviting applications to participate in the April auction of spectrum licenses in the 700 MHz band that remained unsold following the 2013 digital dividend auction. This spectrum band — made available after Australia switched from analog to digital TV — is valued for commercial mobile broadband services or 4G. It is expected that the spectrum will be used to provide high-speed mobile voice and data coverage to regional and metropolitan Australia.

Read full article here: http://www.rrmediagroup.com/News/NewsDetails/NewsID/15102

For more information click here:  http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/spectrum-for-public-safety-radiocommunications

Senate Commerce to Revive Bipartisan Communications Bills from 114th Congress

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January 18, 2017–The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee has scheduled a Jan. 24 executive session at which it plans to mark up 17 bipartisan bills, many approved by the committee in the last Congress, including measures aimed at making more spectrum available for commercial wireless services, improving rural call completion, and consolidating the FCC’s reporting obligations.

Specifically, the agenda includes the MOBILE Now Act (S 19), sponsored by committee Chairman John Thune (R., S.D.) and ranking member Bill Nelson (D., Fla.). The committee approved the bill last year, but it failed to get vote by the full Senate due to a hold by former Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) (TRDaily, June 8, 2016).

Among other things, S 19 would require the government to free up 255 megahertz of spectrum below 6 gigahertz by 2020, codifying an Obama administration executive order released in 2010 to make 500 MHz available within a decade. Officials say 245 MHz has already been made available. Of that 255 MHz, at least 100 MHz would have to be made available on an unlicensed basis and 100 MHz would have to be freed up for exclusive, licensed use, subject to possible continued use by federal agencies. Continue reading →

NASCIO: CIOs Want Stronger Government Cyber Partnerships

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January 18, 2017–The National Association of State Chief Information Officers said today that a desire for “strong intergovernmental partnership on cybersecurity” tops its list of 2017 federal advocacy priorities.

Also making the group’s top issues list is the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and successful implementation of state plans, information sharing and safeguards, and flexibility in federal funding regulations that encourage legacy network system modernization and cloud service adoption.

“NASCIO’s 2016 Cybersecurity Study data indicates that the biggest challenge to cybersecurity as reported by state chief information security officers (CISOs) is insufficient budgets; this has been the number one challenge since the inception of the NASCIO Cybersecurity Study in 2010,” the group said today.

“In addition to the lack of funding, state CISOs report that compliance with voluminous federal security regulations redirects scarce state resources to compliance activity instead of those that would more effectively ensure the security of state government networks and digital assets,” it said. – John Curran, john.curran@wolterskluwer.com

 

Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Provides Guidance to CMRS Providers Regarding Submission of Periodic E911 Location Accuracy Live Call Data Reports

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In PS Docket No. 07-114 by this Public Notice, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (Bureau) provides guidance for Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS) providers to file periodic E911 location accuracy live call data reports as required by the Commission’s rules. This guidance includes instructions and a standard form for CMRS providers to use in filing such reports.  CMRS providers must file their initial live 911 call data reports by February 3, 2017.

Live Data Reporting Attachment PN DA-17-82A2 (pdf)

http://npstc.org/download.jsp?tableId=37&column=217&id=3842&file=Live_Data_Reporting_Attachment_PN_DA-17-82A2.pdf

Live Data Reporting Attachment PN DA-17-82A2 (xlsx)

http://npstc.org/download.jsp?tableId=37&column=217&id=3841&file=Live_Data_Reporting_Attachment_PN_DA-17-82A2.xlsx

Indoor Location Live Data Reporting Attachment PN DA-17-82A1 (pdf)

http://npstc.org/download.jsp?tableId=37&column=217&id=3840&file=Indoor_Location_Live_Data_Reporting_PN_DA-17-82A1.pdf

 

National Report Finds Most 9-1-1 Calls Are Wireless, NG 9-1-1 Deployment Moves Forward, Source Mission Critical

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Data collected during the 2016 calendar year reflects the previous year’s data. Of 43 states that reported data for this element, the total number of primary public-safety answering points (PSAPS) was 4,195. The number of call centers per regional locale differs by state and jurisdictional authority. Many states reroute calls to secondary PSAPs. Of 38 states that reported data for this element, the total number of secondary PSAPs was 1,080. Analysis of the data collected during 2016 identified several key findings. The majority of 9-1-1 calls are increasingly received from cellular phones. 2015 data from reporting states shows that about 80 percent of consumers used cellular phones to make 9-1-1 calls while about 16 percent used wireline phones. This is similar to 2014 data, which showed that 76 percent of consumers used cellular phones to make 9-1-1 calls and about 21 percent used wireline phones.

Read full article here: http://www.rrmediagroup.com/News/NewsDetails/newsID/15099

Click here to read full report: https://www.911.gov/pdf/National-911-Program-2016-ProfileDatabaseProgressReport-120516.pdf

DHS Releases Updated Cyber Incident Response Plan

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January 18, 2017–The Department of Homeland Security said today that its U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) has updated its National Cyber Incident Response Plan (NCIRP), implementing President Obama’s Presidential Policy Directive No. 41 issued in July 2016, which set forth principles to guide federal government action regarding responses to significant cybersecurity incidents.

A statement from US-CERT says the updated plan, among other things, lays out “a national approach” to dealing with cyber incidents, addresses the roles of the private sector, state and local governments and federal agencies, and reflects “lessons learned from exercises, real world incidents and policy and statutory updates.” Continue reading →

Mission Critical Reports: 800 MHz Rebanding Complete along Canadian Border

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The 800 MHz Transition Administrator (TA) said band reconfiguration is complete in a total of 40 National Public Safety Planning Advisory Committee (NPSPAC) regions and American Samoa in its quarterly progress report for the quarter ended Sept. 30. During the third quarter of 2016, physical retuning was completed for 100 percent of Canadian border Stage 2 frequency reconfiguration agreements (FRAs).

All licensees in those regions that were subject to reconfiguration have relocated to their new channels and modified their FCC licenses to delete their old frequencies or cancelled their licenses. Licensees in those regions still may need to complete a second touch of their subscriber units to remove the pre-rebanding channels, submit final reconfiguration cost documentation to Sprint or close to complete individual reconfiguration activities.

Physical retuning was complete for 96.6 percent of non-border Stage 2 FRAs as of Sept. 30. Canadian border Stage 2 licensees had retuned, reflashed or replaced about 220,000 radios (first touches) as of Sept. 30.

The reconfiguration program reached a significant milestone as all Canadian border Stages 1 and 2 licensees have completed their physical retunes and transitioned to their new channels. Some Canadian border Stage 2 licensees are performing a second (or subsequent) touch of their subscriber units to remove the pre-rebanding channels, the report said.

Read complete article here: http://www.rrmediagroup.com/News/newsDetails/newsID/15089

Read report here:  http://www.800ta.org/content/reporting/QPR_09.30.16.pdf

 

 

Rhode Island Opts into FirstNet

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Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D.) announced today that her state will opt into the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), allowing FirstNet’s network partner, AT&T, Inc., to build its radio access networks (RANs) rather than seeking to contract with another vendor to build its own RAN. Rhode Island joins 38 other states and two territories that previously reached the same decision. Rhode Island is also the 12th state to opt into First Net after seeking proposals from both FirstNet/AT&T and other vendors, according to FirstNet.

Thus far, only New Hampshire has said it plans to opt out of FirstNet. State governors have until Dec. 28 to make opt-out decisions. The Pacific territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands face a March 12, 2018, deadline for making opt-out notifications.

“The safety of Rhode Island first responders is of the utmost importance — and state-of-the-art interoperable communications is a major component of that,” said Peter Gaynor, director of the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA). “After carefully examining the findings, we concluded and made the recommendation to the Governor, that the plan put forth by FirstNet and its partner AT&T offered the lowest risk, highest value option for Rhode Island first responders.” Continue reading →

Ligado Asks FCC to Reject Iridium Analysis

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January 17, 2017–Ligado Networks LLC has asked the FCC to reject a technical analysis submitted to the agency last month that concluded Ligado’s network would cause interference to Iridium’s aviation services (TRDaily, Dec. 14, 2016). “The Commission should reject the analysis set out by Iridium in its recent filing in the above referenced dockets not only because Iridium’s technical analysis relies on a flawed model, but also because (i) Iridium has a secondary license and thus lacks a basis to assert interference claims, (ii) Ligado’s revised proposal makes Iridium better off than the status quo, and thus Ligado’s proposal would accommodate Iridium’s legitimate spectrum concerns and (iii) Iridium’s analysis is divorced from the spectrum reality it exists in today,” Ligado said in a redacted filing yesterday in IB dockets 11-109 and 12-340.

“To emphasize the final point, if the Commission were to use Iridium’s proposed interference framework then five million mobile earth-station terminals (METs) already authorized and operating currently would be destroying Iridium’s service,” Ligado complained. “But everyday observation indicates that Iridium’s service functions perfectly well. For this reason if none other, the Commission must disregard Iridium’s analysis and reject the Iridium assertions.” Continue reading →

PSHS Bureau: Labor Statistics Bureau Has Misclassified 911 Dispatchers

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January 19, 2017–The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau has told the Standard Occupational Classification Policy Committee of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that its initial findings that public safety telecommunicators, or 911 dispatchers, should be classified as office and administrative support occupations “appear to reflect an incomplete and inaccurate understanding of the work performed by today’s public safety telecommunicators.”

In a letter dated Dec. 6 and released today, PSHS Bureau Chief David Simpson said, “As you enter the next phase of the decision-making process, we urge you to carefully consider the comments that have been submitted in response to the SOCPC’s initial findings by public safety organizations and individual telecommunicators.  Among other things, these comments document that in the current 911 system, public safety telecommunicators: (1) under established protocols and procedures, provide assistance, guidance, and life-saving advice to 911 callers in many emergency situations; (2) are involved in the planning, coordination, and direction of response activities both before and after emergency personnel are dispatched to the scene; (3) receive specialized and rigorous training in emergency response and crisis management skills; and (4) operate within organizations and under chain-of-command structures that group them with other public safety professionals, including police, fire, and emergency medical personnel.” Continue reading →