FirstNet News
2016 was a busy year for FirstNet, with nearly 700 high-level consultation and outreach engagements across the 56 states and territories, as well as Canada, Greece, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. This includes SPOC Engagement Meetings, Governance Body Meetings, Metro Engagement Meetings, Executive Engagement Meetings, and Consultation Task Team Meetings. In addition, members of the FirstNet team were involved in hundreds of smaller meetings, one-on-one engagements, conferences, and other engagements throughout 2016 to make FirstNet a success.
Looking forward into 2017, FirstNet has confirmed more than 30 speaking engagements thus far in no less than 15 states and territories, as well as the United Kingdom. In particular, FirstNet is looking forward in the near-term to the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) Expo in New Orleans, Louisiana; the United South and Eastern Tribes (USET) Impact Week Meeting in Arlington, Virginia; and the Journal of Emergency Medical Services’ (JEMS) EMS Today Conference and Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah.
This week, FirstNet will be participating in a Rhode Island Interoperable Communications Committee meeting in Lincoln; the Consumer Electronics Show Broadband and Government conferences in Las Vegas, Nevada; and a Vermont Public Safety Broadband Committee meeting in Waterbury.
Recently, FirstNet posted three new blog posts: FirstNet @ CES 2017: How FirstNet will transform the future of public safety, PSCR’s Innovation Accelerator Program Announces $30 million Grant Program to ‘Pull the Future Forward’ for Public Safety and PSAC Profile: International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM). All blog posts are available on the FirstNet blog at: www.firstnet.gov/newsroom/blog.
Media Watch
*The information provided is copied as-is from the media outlet source and is not edited by FirstNet. Links to non-Federal Government websites do not constitute endorsement of any product, service, organization, company, information provider, or content. Clicking on non-Department of Commerce hyperlinks will direct you to websites that are not under the Government’s control.
StateScoop 12/28: NIST Stakes $30 Million Grant for Public Safety Broadband Apps and Innovations
http://statescoop.com/nist-stakes-30-million-grant-public-safety-broadband-apps-innovations
There is $30 million up for grabs for organizations that can deliver digital tools for the nation’s first public-safety communications network. The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), tasked to coordinate the network’s launch, advertised the grant in a blog post on Dec. 22, saying it would look for solutions that accelerated research and development of broadband technologies for first responders. Funding comes from $300 million in congressional support for the new network, and the grants are released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Public Safety Communications Research Division (PSCR).
Web and Social Media
FirstNet’s social media presence grew at the normal rate the past two weeks. Twitter gained 57 new followers, now at 4,769. Facebook has 563 followers. LinkedIn now has 1,800 followers. YouTube has 368 subscribers.
Do you have something you want to feature in the weekly update, such as a conference date, personnel announcement, or news article showcasing the work of your organization? Please send it to PSAC@firstnet.gov for possible inclusion in an upcoming update.