FirstNet Potpourri
The first item of interest for FirstNet and its rural customers should be the progress on H.R. 3994. If passed by Congress and signed into law, this bill will provide a new government oversight organization that will hopefully establish a pool of all existing grants and low-cost broadband loans being offered by government agencies including the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA, Broadband USA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and others. A few weeks ago I indicated that FirstNet should be an active participant in this new agency or whatever they decide to call it. I suggested that this agency should be structured like the FirstNet Authority, which is an Independent entity with its own board of directors and can work on public/private partnerships. This has worked well for FirstNet and has enabled it to move forward somewhat faster than a typical government entity.
Further, I think this organization should only hire people experienced in broadband deployments (fiber, microwave, and various forms of wireless) and who understand the economics of engineering and building out successful broadband systems. They should also understand that a grant to simply build a network without any follow-on to keep it running (maintenance, insurance, leases, power, etc.) is a waste of time. While AT&T is required to build out FirstNet in rural areas, it is also charged with maintaining, upgrading, and even expanding it over the course of the next 25 years.
H.R. 3994 was moved out of the sub-committee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee to the full committee on June 13, 2018. On July 12, 2018, which is lightening fast for committee action, it was ordered by a voice vote of the full committee to be reported. This means it will now go the entire House for a vote. If it is passed and sent to the Senate, it too, will hopefully pass the bill in record time. Then instead of having various agencies with their different grants, deadlines, and guidelines, and some agencies favoring fiber-only solutions while some understand the last mile is best served by wireless, everyone will be under one roof run by people who live and breathe broadband. The organization will understand that the FirstNet requirement for rural broadband build-out provides many opportunities for additional broadband sites and services to be coordinated, combined, or built to interface with FirstNet (Built by AT&T).
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Here are the articles I have selected with the help of Discovery Patterns artificial intelligence
Colorado’s FirstNet office challenges AT&T’s take on interoperability
StateScoop Jul 18 12:15
John Hickenlooper is now standing in its way, and AT&T, the network’s operator, says it’s already doing exactly what Congress and the public safety …
Intrepid Networks’ situational-awareness application earns FirstNet certification
Urgent Communications Jul 17 23:15
Intrepid Networks’ situational-awareness application earns FirstNet …
Assured Wireless Joins the Public Safety Network’s Technology Accelerator Program
SYS-CON Media Jul 17 14:10
Assured Wireless Corporation develops technology, products and services that provide public safety with the most reliably connected broadband …
Embedded Module Approved by AT&T for the FirstNet Network is Here
eBOM Jul 16 16:30
Now with today’s announcement that the EM7511 LTE-Advanced Pro module is approved by AT&T and available for the FirstNet network, developers …
FCC chairman Pai reveals his plan to auction three bands of millimeter-wave spectrum in 2019
Phone Arena Jul 13 16:20
One of the game-changers for 5G is that new technologies have made it possible to use millimeter-wave spectrum for mobile broadband. With so …
First House Republican Backs Effort To Restore Net Neutrality
Techdirt Corporate Intelligence Jul 18 08:14
While the best chance of reversing the FCC’s attack on net neutrality still likely rests with the courts , an uphill effort to restore the FCC’s 2015 rules via Congress appears to have taken a small step forward this week. The Congressional Review Act lets Congress reverse a regulatory action with a simply majority vote in the Senate and the House (which is how the GOP successfully killed FCC consumer broadband privacy protections last year)….
Narrowband technology is the gateway to tomorrow’s smart home
Propmodo Jul 18 06:10
Smart neighborhoods use less power and are more energy efficient. With the home constructed as an effective smart device, lights and air temperature …
Smart Cities – Vodafone Narrowband-IoT
ContactCenterWorld.com Jul 17 23:05
Vodafone Germany: Smart Cities – Vodafone Narrowband-IoT. Tweet. Watch later. Share. Info. Shopping. Tap to unmute. If playback doesn’t begin …
Colorado Backtracks on FCC Filing Requesting FirstNet Interoperability Guidelines
RadioResource Media Group Jul 17 16:05
“This is without any feedback to the Colorado Public Safety Broadband …
Smart (Connected) Street Lights Market 2018-2023 Global Top Key Players by General Electric …
openPR Jul 17 12:20
The narrow-band technology is further categorized into Sigfox, LoRa, RPMA, and others. The medium band includes PLC, RF mesh, and others, …
SITAONAIR moves IoT into perishable, sensitive freight with cargo airlines
Runway Girl Network Jul 17 12:20
That amount of data by itself does not push customers to install or upgrade their existing narrowband inflight connectivity systems. And Benain readily …
Big Telecom Lobby Says There’s Too Much Broadband Competition, Pushes FCC to Harm Smaller …
Motherboard Jul 17 09:25
ILECs like AT&T and Verizon traditionally made getting access to their …
Mission-Critical Broadband – The Commercial Mobile Network Operator’s Vital Role
Light Reading Jul 17 06:30
Public safety broadband – Unlock your network’s LTE potential with Nokia Mobile network operators’ existing LTE networks can play a vital role to help our emergency services. Learn how LTE network operators can partner with governments to support public safety, win premium customers and make a difference.
5G and Broadband Infrastructure in the Spotlight at August FCC Meeting
CommLaw Monitor Jul 16 21:00
The FCC will focus on 5G spectrum and the infrastructure supporting next-generation broadband services at its meeting planned for August 2, 2018.
SoftBank certifies MediaTek NarrowBand IoT for Japan
SimmTester.com Jul 16 16:05
MediaTek has completed validation (interoperability tests) of NarrowBand IoT connectivity (NB-IoT) with SoftBank to set the stage for future commercial …