Month: January 2017

Strickling Sees IANA Transition; BTOP Grants as Top Accomplishments

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January 9, 2017–Completion of the transition of oversight of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to the multistakeholder community last year will probably be remembered as the biggest accomplishment from the last eight years at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, according to NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling.

During an interview with TRDaily, Mr. Strickling spoke about both the accomplishments of NTIA during his tenure, and some areas where he would have liked to have seen more achieved, such as privacy bill of rights legislation, the lack of receiver standards, and continued need for broadband deployment and adoption.Mr. Strickling said that “the Internet is stronger as a result of” completing the IANA transition which “has been 20 years in the making,” and that “U.S. interests are better protected because of it. … I think that’s the thing 10 years from now if anybody looks back at the last eight years at NTIA” will be viewed as its most important accomplishment. Continue reading →

Andy Seybold’s Public Safety Advocate, January 12, 2017

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FirstNet Needs to Come Out of the Closet! One comment made at the FirstNet board meeting caught my attention and that is that FirstNet, while becoming well known within Public Safety circles, has not gained much, if any, public attention. I find this to be true even among many elected and appointed officials and certainly among the general public. In the investment community, companies I have been in contact with that are interested in one or more vendors in the wireless space seem to know something about FirstNet but the rest of the community that should understand the investment opportunities has not been made aware of FirstNet. This brought me to the conclusion that many of you who are well versed in FirstNet, the importance of the nationwide broadband network, and the current status of the network, probably have access to someone in the general press who might be interested in this project from a public interest point of view. So, I would like to suggest that if you know someone who could provide an article to the general press community, or if your organization wants to issue a press release about your planned involvement with FirstNet, that would be a great thing to do. Continue reading →

FirstNetWeekly Update to the Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) – January 9, 2017

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FirstNet News

  • Last week, FirstNet was in Las Vegas, Nevada for the 50th Annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES). In Wednesday’s Broadband session, FirstNet President TJ Kennedy moderated the panel “FirstNet: How Broadband Can Power Public Safety Transformation,” highlighting all the different ways broadband will assist first responders. The panel included Assistant Sheriff Tom Roberts of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department; Maggie Goodrich, Chief Information Officer for the Los Angeles Police Department; and FirstNet Senior Advisor Bill Schrier.
  • On Sunday, CEO Mike Poth gave a keynote at CES’s Government Conference on “FirstNet, Emergency Management and Communications.”  He spoke on FirstNet’s efforts to modernize public safety communications.

Continue reading →

S&T January 2017 Facebook Town Hall: Applying for S&T Basic and Applied Research Funding

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Calling all researchers, innovators, non-traditional partners, and anyone with “the next big idea!” Do you or your companies have pioneering solutions that can help advance our nation’s security?  Do you know where to find S&T’s basic and applied research topics and how to apply for funding?

S&T’s Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (LRBAA) is an open invitation to the scientific community for original research proposals to solve tough problems and develop new capabilities.  The goal is to advance our scientific and technical knowledge through a competitive solicitation for basic and applied research, and to apply such advances to DHS’ operational environments and the Homeland Security Enterprise.

The LRBAA doesn’t focus on a specific system or hardware solution.  Rather, the announcement seeks scientific study and experimentation focused on advancing the state-of-the-art or increasing knowledge or understanding.  For example, S&T is interested in ideas that would improve situational awareness at our borders, and we can provide funding through the LRBAA to research, test and/or develop technology. Continue reading →

FCC Dismisses Amateur Radio Petitions

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January 5, 2016–The Mobility Division of the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau today dismissed two petitions for rulemaking concerning the agency’s amateur service rules. “We have before us petitions for rulemakings filed by James Edwin Whedbee and Jeffrey H. Siegell. Mr. Whedbee requests that the Commission amend part 97 of the Commission’s rules ‘to reduce the number of amateur radio operator classes to Technician, General, and Amateur Extra, to merge into the Technician class all Novice class operators, to merge into the Amateur Extra class all Advanced class operators, to establish the procedures governing such mergers, and for related purposes.’ Mr. Siegell requests that the Commission amend part 97 to grant Advanced Class license holders Morse code operating privileges equal to those of Amateur Extra Class licensees,” the division noted in a letter ruling. “Thus, Mr. Siegell’s proposed rule change is subsumed within the changes Mr. Whedbee requests, so our analysis is the same for both proposals. For the reasons discussed below, we dismiss both petitions.” Continue reading →

CSIS Report Recommends Boosting DHS Cybersecurity Role

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January 5, 2016–A new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies recommends a wide range of policy options for the next presidential administration to consider in boosting U.S. cybersecurity, including strengthening the role of the Department of Homeland Security or creating a new agency that would focus on cybersecurity. The CSIS report, which updates a similar effort undertaken in 2009 at the beginning of the Obama administration, said that cybersecurity needs to be an “operational component agency” at DHS, on par with DHS components such as the Coast Guard.

“Cybersecurity is a full-time job and the most important function DHS may have if it is to be more than a border security agency,” the report says. “If DHS is serious about cybersecurity, it should make it a core mission and remove peripheral activities.” Continue reading →

800 MHz Band Realignment Progress Reported

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January 5, 2016–The 800 megahertz band transition administrator (TA) said in its latest quarterly report to the FCC that “[t]he primary focus of the reconfiguration program during the third quarter of 2016 continued to be the reconfiguration of Mexican border licensees. All of the 127 FRAs [frequency reconfiguration agreements] anticipated for Mexican border licensees have been submitted to the TA. After FRA approval by the TA, licensees with replacement frequencies that are clear may proceed with implementation activities. Mexican border licensees retuned, reflashed, or replaced approximately 16,000 radios (first touches) in the third quarter of 2016, raising the total number complete to approximately 144,300 radios as of September 30, 2016.

As of September 30, 2016, Mexican border licensees in 57 FRAs completed their physical retunes and transitioned to their new channels, which was 45 percent of Mexican border FRAs.” The TA said in its report in WT docket 02-55 that 98.1% of non-public safety licensees along the Mexican border had their FRAs approved as of Sept. 30, 2016, 52.8% had completed physical retuning, and 26.4% had closed on their realignment. For public safety licensees, the percentages were 100%, 41.9%, and 16.2%, respectively.

Courtesy TRDaily

DHS Chief Cites NCCIC Growth, Urges Further Expansion

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January 5, 2016–Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a report issued today that the agency’s National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) – which serves as the federal government’s hub for cybersecurity threat data sharing, technical assistance, and incident response – expanded its activities in 2016 and needs to grow further to meet increasing demand for its services. In an “exit memo” wrapping up DHS’s progress on a host of issues since the beginning of the Obama administration, Mr. Johnson keyed in on cybersecurity as one of the agency’s areas of achievement and urged the incoming Trump administration “to continue to make cybersecurity a top national security priority.” Continue reading →

OEC Outreach Clips: North Dakota Requests VLAW31 Use for All Emergencies, Source Mission Critical Communications – ND

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The FCC requested comment on a waiver request filed by the state of North Dakota to use frequency 155.4750 MHz within 25 kilometers of the U.S.-Canada border for interagency coordination during emergencies.  North Dakota is licensed to operate on frequency 155.4750 MHz for transmissions from mobile or portable units throughout the entire state via private land mobile radio (PLMR) license call sign KO5210. It also holds several additional PLMR licenses permitting it to operate numerous base stations throughout the state on frequency 155.4750 MHz.   North Dakota Requests VLAW31 Use for All Emergencies

OEC Outreach Clips: CES 2017: Officials Talk FirstNet, Public Safety Technology, Source Government Technology

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As electronics giants revealed their latest partnerships and products at CES 2017, a group of public safety professionals gathered Jan. 4 for an update on FirstNet, the national First Responder Network Authority signed into federal law nearly five years ago — and a panel discussion about what’s next for their industry.  FirstNet President T.J. Kennedy told the Consumer Electronics Show audience — a roughly half-full room including public safety professionals and at least one general contractor — that the network has taken in bids and should award a contract later this year.  The session’s real question, however, was how broadband can power a public safety transformation. CES 2017: Officials Talk FirstNet, Public Safety Technology