The FCC will hold a workshop on public safety imperatives for all IP (Internet protocol) networks on April 17 and 18, the agency’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB).  Participants in the workshop, which is part of the FCC’s General docket 13-5 proceeding, will include representatives of public safety agencies and organizations, service providers, technology vendors, and other stakeholders.  

The workshop will seek to identify the conditions, rebuttable presumptions, and relevant factors that are needed to ensure that core public safety values are supported in the transition to an all IP-based infrastructure.  Four panels will cover issues related to: day-to-day public safety operations in an all-IP world; disaster preparation and responses in an all-IP world; additional risk factors from cyber exploits on commercial, public and government networks; and the impact of technology transitions on national security and federal government systems. The workshop will be open to public, but anyone wishing to attend must preregister at transition.fcc.gov/pshs/event-registration.html by April 11.  The event will also be streamed live on the FCC’s website.