The anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on the United States since Pearl Harbor. Most of us can remember exactly where we were on that day and what we were doing when we heard the news. In addition to it being one of the worst days in the history of the U.S. that I am old enough to remember, it marked the start of a true campaign for Public Safety interoperability communications.

The sad part is that interoperability, or the lack thereof, was actually a 30-year-old problem even in 2001. My first article for my Emergency Communications newsletter in 1981 was about the lack of interoperability in LA and other areas of California. This after my own first experience with the issue in the summer of 1969 when I was a volunteer fireman for Swarthmore Fire Department outside of Philadelphia. We were called in on a third alarm for a row house fire that was spreading to other row homes near Chester, an industrial community.

When we arrived we were told that we were needed as a tandem pumper to boost the pressure on a fire hydrant feed that was about 400 yards from the fire. We took our position, attached the hose from the pumper at the hydrant and then fed the water to another pumper closer to the scene. We were on low band, 46.52 MHz, Chester, the first pumper in line, was on VHF (150 MHz). The Chester Heights pumper at the fire was also on Low Band but on 33.96 with no other channels available. Everything worked great until the on-scene pumper had to shut down for a problem. Our pumper kept pushing water up the line and we watched as a 50-foot section of hose ruptured and our water was heading straight up in the air, not onto the fire. After-action reports showed that the pumper at the fire had radioed it was having a problem but we did not hear them nor did the pumper at the hydrant because we were all on different radio channels.

This was not the only incident I was involved in but it had a lasting effect on me. I spent a lot of time trying to find out why this was happening, not just in our county but everywhere in the U.S. The answer was that as the technologists opened more radio spectrum higher in the band, the FCC had far too many companies, organizations, and others that wanted access to the spectrum. The FCC was like a mother robin with too many young mouths in the nest to feed so instead of each baby mouth getting a whole worm, each one only got a piece.

Can FirstNet solve this problem? NO! Not for a while. It can offer, and should offer video and data services that are fully interoperable between every Public Safety agency in the U.S., its territories, and its tribal nations. However, it cannot, in my estimation, fix the 40-year-old voice interoperability issues. Some LTE advocates seem to believe LTE can be all things to all Public Safety agencies but I do not believe this is true, at least for the next 10+ years. Land Mobile Radio has made strides toward better Interoperability since 9/11 and Katerina, DHS has helped with funding and information, but more needs to be done. To assume that FirstNet is the ultimate solution for voice and data services for all of the Public Safety community is naive at the worst and dangerous at the best. Let’s get FirstNet up and running with video and voice first and THEN tackle the rest of the interoperable voice issues. Have a Great Weekend Andy

FirstNet ramps up, finalizing RFP before 2016 – Washington Metro Bugle via Google Alerts Sep  8 03:50 This makes FirstNet the first high-speed, nationwide wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety. In an interview on the Federal Drive with …

Eyewitness News anchor Bill Ritter reflects on the 14th anniversary of 9/11 – WABC-TV via Google Alerts Sep 11 01:05 I’m talking about the first responders – those incredibly brave men and women who rushed to Ground Zero. The ones who survived stayed, sometimes …

FirstNet teams up with 911 Community – Pulstar via Google Alerts Sep 10 05:11 NENA and FirstNet, the first high-speed nationwide wireless broadband network provider dedicated to public safety, are helping lead efforts that will …

FCC Commish Says Net Neutrality Is Hurting Investment – Law360 via Google Alerts Sep  9 21:25 Law360, Washington (September 9, 2015, 4:49 PM ET) — The Federal Communications Commission’s order reclassifying broadband service as a Title …

Search and Rescue Teams Aided by DHS ‘Lost Person’ App – HSToday via Google Alerts Sep  9 20:15 Since its release, the app has received two-five star reviews from the Association of Public-Safety Communications Official (APCO) International …

FirstNet in Action: JerseyNet Broadband Network Provides Unobstructed Data Connectivity to First … – 9-1-1 Magazine via Google Alerts Sep  9 10:10 … unqualified success, setting a precedent for effectively using the National Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) to improve communications, …

FirstNet cybersecurity – September 8, 2015 – Lexology via Google Alerts Sep  9 08:30 At its Industry Day last month, FirstNet indicated it plans to release a special notice in the coming weeks requesting input on network cybersecurity.

CII sharing public safety spectrum – September 8, 2015 – Lexology via Google Alerts Sep  9 07:45 Last week, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on a Petition filed last year by the National Public Safety …

9-1-1 PSAs emphasize need for callers to know location – Ravenna Record Courier via Google Alerts Sep  9 04:36 … announcements sponsored by the Ohio 9-1-1 Program Office and the Ohio Chapter of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials.

TeleCommunication Systems Showcases Location-Based Services Leadership at CTIA-The … – MarketWatch via Google Alerts Sep  8 08:10 Public Safety and Security In January 2015, the FCC significantly increased accuracy requirements for locating mobile customers indoors and …

Public Safety Answering Point Training – inshomegarden.gq – Home & Garden High Quality Images Gallery of 2015 via Google Alerts Sep 11 08:50 APCO Webcast: Public Safety Quality Assurance Best Practices and Tools. Related Images. The Kestrel, designed by the DRDO was unveiled …

FirstNet – Pensacola Broadband.com via Google Alerts Sep 10 21:10 FirstNet has the mission to build, operate and maintain the first high-speed, nationwide wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety.

FirstNet: Deploying a Resilient Broadband Network for the Nation’s First Responders – Department of Commerce via Google Alerts Sep 10 21:10 FirstNet: Deploying a Resilient Broadband Network for the Nation’s First Responders.. Image. InnovationFirst Responder Network Authority.

Public Safety LTE & Mobile Broadband Market Technologies, Applications,Opportunities … – Docslide.us via Google Alerts Sep  9 23:20 ue to the bandwidth limitations of their traditional voice-centric LMR (Land Mobile Radio) networks, public safety agencies are keen to leverage …

At the tipping point: Comprehensive reform of FCC’s Lifeline program – The Hill via Google Alerts Sep  9 21:30 Today, few argue with the fact that broadband Internet access is a …

Apple’s iPhone 6s, 6s Plus to support T-Mobile’s 700 MHz band 12, Sprint’s 2.5 GHz carrier … – FierceWireless via Google Alerts Sep  9 17:15 Importantly, the phones support fully 23 bands of LTE, including the 700 MHz band 12 that T-Mobile US is using and Sprint’s 2.5 GHz carrier …

Eshoo to FCC: Advanced Telecom Should Include Mobile – Multichannel News via Google Alerts Sep  9 13:15 has told the FCC that it should include mobile broadband in its next Sec. 706 report on whether advanced telecommunications (broadband) is being …

Pole Attachments, CII Spectrum, Wireless 911, TCPA, FirstNet, Regulatory Fees, Vol XII Issue 36 – The National Law Review via Google Alerts Sep  8 17:20 The Petition urged the FCC to amend its rules to permit railroad police …

Windstream says FCC Lifeline broadband provision should be technology neutral – FierceTelecom via Google Alerts Sep  8 17:10 Consumers have a number of fixed and mobile broadband options, all of which include various speeds and usage allowances. Lifeline program …

AT&T leverages CAF-II to extend 10 Mbps broadband in rural Louisiana – FierceTelecom via Google Alerts Sep  8 13:10 AT&T (NYSE: T) is leveraging a portion of money it accepted from the second phase of the FCC’s Connect America Fund (CAF-II) to bring broadband …

New report sheds light on the the public safety LTE & mobile broadband market: 2015 2030 – WhaTech via Google Alerts Sep  8 11:15 Due to the bandwidth limitations of their traditional voice-centric LMR (Land Mobile Radio) networks, public safety agencies are keen to leverage …

What net neutrality means for Netflix, AT&T, Time Warner — and you – Business Insider Australia via Google Alerts Sep  4 10:10 For this reason, mobile broadband or internet access from any mobile device was included in the FCC’s recently adopted net neutrality proposal, …