Location Services, When? The FCC has new rules for locating calls that come into the Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), and eventually they will include a third dimension, that being height of the phone above ground. Sadly, the requirements imposed on the carriers for next-generation 9-1-1 are watered down from what is truly needed. I have been told the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) relaxed its requirements at the request of carriers and the national carrier association. In any event, the new rules for incoming location are totally inadequate for locating citizen 9-1-1 callers and first responders who may be in trouble inside a building or other structure.

Further, while I have no visibility into the FirstNet state plans, I am told the requirement for better inbuilding location seems to indicate these services may not be implemented until 2022. This is too long to wait when there are technologies available today that can meet the most stringent of the public safety requirements and could be put into play much earlier. The FCC has been running test beds for several types of location-based services including GPS and cellular network-based, building a database of Wi-Fi hotspots, using beacons, and other types or combinations of technologies. It appears as though the systems approved by the FCC will be a blend of several different technologies for rural, suburban, and metro-area location services. As stated above, none of the FCC rules currently require anything close to what is needed by the public safety community. Read the entire article here Below is the weekly news courtesy of Discovery Patterns:

Wyoming OKs State Plan for FirstNet’s Public Safety Broadband Network – Normangee Star via Google Alerts Jul 13 05:00 Governor Terry McAuliffe on Monday signed a letter of intent declaring that the commonwealth will allow the First Responder Network Authority …

Virginia becomes first state to join FirstNet public safety network – HSToday via Google Alerts Jul 12 19:40 Virginia recently became the first state to opt into a plan by the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and AT&T for a wireless public safety …

Gov. Mead approves buildout plan for first responder network – Wyoming Business Report via Google Alerts Jul 12 19:25 Wyoming is making history as Gov. Matt Mead has approved the FirstNet and AT&T plan to deliver a wireless broadband network to the state’s public …

Pennsylvania State Police look to improve communication during emergency situations – FOX43.com via Google Alerts Jul 12 19:00 FirstNet was created, a partnership with AT&T and the first public safety broadband network for first responders. Similar to an express pass at a theme …

Wyoming to Transform Communications for Public Safety; Governor Mead to Approve Buildout … – GuruFocus.com via Google Alerts Jul 12 18:35 FirstNet and AT&T will build, operate and maintain a highly secure wireless broadband …

Wyoming governor makes FirstNet ‘opt-in’ announcement – Urgent Communications via Google Alerts Jul 12 16:15 … the state responsible for deploying the LTE radio access network (RAN) within …

Wyoming Announces Plans To Join First Responder Network – Kgab via Google Alerts Jul 12 15:30 Congress established FirstNet in 2012 to create the first high-speed, national wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety. The governor …

FirstNet: Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the non-contiguous region – Marianas Variety via Google Alerts Jul 12 15:10 The Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network or NPSBN is intended to enhance the ability of the public safety community to perform more reliably …

Wyo Public Safety Goes Wireless; Another First for the 307 – KCWY 13 Where News Comes First via Google Alerts Jul 12 15:00 Wyoming made history yet again on Tuesday July 11th as Governor Matthew Mead announced his decision to accept the FirstNet and AT&T plan to …

FirstNet Snags Second State to Opt-in to First Responders Network – Wireless Week via Google Alerts Jul 12 14:40 … and AT&T the green light to build, operate, and maintain a secure wireless broadband communications network for its public safety community.

AT&T Inc. (T) Plan To Deliver A Wireless Broadband Network To The State’s Public Safety … – Investing News Update via Google Alerts Jul 12 13:40 AT&T Inc. (T) Plan To Deliver A Wireless Broadband Network To The State’s …

Rural broadband advocates seek help from FCC, not just Congress – Agri-Pulse via Google Alerts Jul 12 10:25 … that infrastructure went beyond roads and bridges, she told Agri-Pulse. …

States Continue FirstNet State Plan Evaluation, Some Concerns Emerge – MissionCritical Jul 12 10:05 As the first states opted in to the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) this week, other state officials continue to work through terms of use (ToU) details, individual access to the state portal and further information needed for an informed opt-in/opt-out decision. read more

FirstNet looks to transform public safety – ABC27 via Google Alerts Jul 12 00:35 (WHTM) A high speed broadband network designed to give first …

Microsoft Plans to Bring White Space Broadband to 12 States – DSL Reports via Google Alerts Jul 11 14:25 … broadcast TV airwaves in the recent FCC incentive auction,” whined NAB. …

Microsoft eyes white spaces for $10B plan to bring broadband to rural users – FierceWireless via Google Alerts Jul 11 14:20 In a May filing with the FCC, the software developer unveiled plans to continue to evaluate the suitability of white space spectrum for narrowband …

Regional Wireless Carrier Gets Waiver on 9-1-1 Location Accuracy Rules – MissionCritical Jul 11 10:11 The FCC granted Cordova Wireless Communications a waiver of its 9-1-1 location accuracy and related reporting requirements until six months after it receives a request for phase II location data from the public-safety answering point (PSAP) for the city of Cordova, Alaska. read more

AT&T has significant incentives to ‘get it right’ for public safety via FirstNet, company official says – Urgent Communications via Google Alerts Jul 11 08:35 In addition, AT&T’s performance in serving public safety through the FirstNet initiative is going to impact the perception of the company among key …

T-Mobile’s List of Network Firsts Grows Longer: Now, the Un-carrier is First with Narrowband IoT – Business Wire via Google Alerts Jul 13 09:25 The field tests were conducted in partnership with Qualcomm and Ericsson across multiple sites on T-Mobile’s live commercial LTE network in Las …

Broadband Providers Tell Supreme Court FCC Lacked Authority For Net Neutrality Rules – MediaPost Communications via Google Alerts Jul 13 05:35 The net neutrality rules, passed in 2015 by the FCC, reclassified broadband …

Internet Companies Speak Out, Support Net Neutrality – MediaPost Communications via Google Alerts Jul 12 20:50 The regulations have meet with controversy after the FCC changed the classification of broadband to treat services like a public utility. A proposal …

Gov. Mead to approve buildout plan for first responder network – Wyoming Business Report via Google Alerts Jul 12 17:40 Matt Mead has approved the FirstNet and AT&T plan to deliver a wireless broadband network to the state’s public safety community. This will make …

Web Protest Will Not Derail FCC From Reversing Obama Rules: Analyst – Investor’s Business Daily Jul 12 16:00 The FCC is expected to reclassify broadband under Title 1 and eliminate net neutrality rules.

FirstNet bags second customer in as many days as Wyoming opts in – FierceWireless via Google Alerts Jul 12 12:50 … decision, saying FirstNet will transform the way Wyoming’s fire, police, EMS and other public safety personnel communicate and share information.

Russia to adopt its own IoT standard – Telecompaper via Google Alerts Jul 12 12:25 Russian IoT industry group has submitted its own Narrow Band Fidelity (NB-FI) IoT standard to the federal standard regulator Rosstandart, reports …

Overnight Tech: Groups gear up for net neutrality ‘Day of Action’ | Trump sued for blocking Twitter users | Microsoft outlines plans to improve rural broadband – Technology Jul 12 08:15 DAY OF ACTION: Both sides in the net neutrality fight are gearing up ahead of Wednesday’s “Day of Action,” an event organized by groups in support of the internet rules.Republican Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai is moving to…

Ericsson launches new network services in preparation for massive IoT – The Internet of Business via Google Alerts Jul 11 11:35 To address this, Ericsson has announced a package of network services for cellular IoT connectivity, including Cat-M1 and Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT).

Hytera to provide Angola with a nationwide TETRA system, dual mode handsets – TETRA Today via Google Alerts Jul 11 08:20 It incorporates feature-rich broadband technologies while ensuring that critically important voice services remain reliably accessible using narrowband …

CenturyLink wants to shed 7 legacy analog, low-speed data services in 24 states – FierceTelecom via Google Alerts Jul  6 11:40 … and low-speed data services: Metallic, Telegraph, Narrowband, Wideband analog, Wideband Digital, Program Audio and Analog Video services.

Inside Vodacom’s new IoT lab – Photos – MyBroadband Jul  6 09:40 Vodacom recently opened its Narrowband IoT Laboratory, aimed at commercialising IoT systems using the provider’s NB-IoT network.

Sky and Space Global: Constellations need relief on regulatory filing, insurance cost – Space Intel Report via Google Alerts Jul  6 08:25 PARIS Startup narrowband satellite constellation operator Sky and Space Global Ltd. was publicly traded before its first launch, and concluded its …

Webinar: LMR Narrowbanding – Utilities Telecom Council via Google Alerts Jul  6 08:00 Member Center. Member Center · Job Posting · Contact Us. Webinar: LMR Narrowbanding. July 6, 10:00 am. Webinar: LMR Narrowbanding. Archives.