FirstNet News
Last month, FirstNet President TJ Kennedy and FirstNet staff had the opportunity to conduct meetings with executives from the Seattle, Washington Police and Fire departments. These meetings provided great insight into their departments’ unique technical, operational and purchasing needs. These sessions were part of FirstNet’s expanding outreach efforts with metropolitan areas during 2016, as discussed on state/territory single point of contact (SPOC) calls. Over the next two months, FirstNet will participate in national association meetings with the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs, the Major Cities Police Chiefs and the U.S Conference of Mayors. In preparation for these meetings and eventual service adoption, FirstNet will reach out in the hopes to meet with additional cities. Should you like more information on FirstNet’s on-going metropolitan outreach efforts or any other outreach initiatives (e.g., federal, tribal, rural), please email PSAC@firstnet.gov.
Last week, FirstNet participated in three State governance body meetings in California, Louisiana, and Massachusetts. FirstNet has now completed six State governance body meetings in 2016. These engagements are designed to set honest expectations and identify and discuss key desires/issues for the State Plan and the State Plan review process. Additionally, they allow for further engagement with the key influencers to the Governor. A follow-up SPOC webinar is in the works for May to further discuss the consultation task team (CTT) process and Quality of Service, Priority and Preemption (QPP) topic.
FirstNet CEO Mike Poth and Board member Teri Takai spoke to nearly 100 federal executives and technology industry representatives at the FedScoop Public Sector Innovation Summit in Arlington, Virginia on April 26. Discussion topics included background on FirstNet, achievements and anticipated milestones in the program, and the potential of FirstNet to bring about technological innovations for public safety and the Internet of First Responder Things. Additional emphasis was placed on the idea that the network will require both the creativity and innovation of the private sector and the buy-in of federal agencies with a public safety role.
On April 27, FirstNet spoke at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) State Broadband Leaders Workshop in Arlington, Virginia. The Broadband Leaders group consists of state representatives engaged in broadband deployment and adoption programs, as well as projects and activities that integrate broadband into the daily life and routine of Americans. The group, which included representation from 15 states, asked questions regarding State Plans and network deployment timelines, federal engagement, use of public assets, and secondary use of the FirstNet spectrum.
Last week, FirstNet published four new entries on its blog: FirstNet to Connect Local Needs on National Scale, Early Builders Blog: Harris County Demo at the Houston Rodeo, and Data Collection in 2016: What Does It Mean?. All blog posts can also be accessed through the FirstNet blog landing page at: www.firstnet.gov/newsroom/blog.
This week, FirstNet is participating in an Industry Analyst webinar; the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies Spring 2016 conference in Charleston, South Carolina; the Experience Public Safety Long Term Evolution (LTE) (XPSLTE) 2016 conference in Brighton, Colorado; a Rhode Island Interoperability Communications Committee meeting in Lincoln, Rhode Island; the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) meeting in Baltimore, Maryland and the Fly In in Washington, DC; the Maine Annual National Emergency Number Association (NENA) conference in South Portland, Maine; the Vermont Public Safety Broadband Commission meeting in Waterbury, Vermont; the Congressional Fire Services Institute Fire Service Seminars and Dinner in Washington, DC; the Colorado 2016 Public Safety Radio Summit in Denver, Colorado; the Hennepin County (Minnesota) Police Chiefs Association meeting in Golden Valley, Minnesota; the New Hampshire Statewide Interoperability Executive Committee meeting in Concord, New Hampshire; visits to Alaska Native villages hosted by the Governor’s office and meeting with the Board of Directors of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) Regional Association; the Northwest Tribal Emergency Preparedness Conference in Washington State; and a tribal forum at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), Center for Homeland Defense & Security (CHDS), in California.
For SPOCs who missed the opportunity at the semiannual meeting to pick up paper copies of the national tribal reservation maps, PDF copies are available online at http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/maps/aian_wall_maps.html. The Census Bureau’s website also includes an explanation of the Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Program, which the Bureau uses to determine the federal reservation and off-reservation trust land boundaries depicted on the maps.
Another helpful tribal resource is the online digital mapping application, TIGERweb: http://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/tigerwebmain/tigerweb_main.html. This tool is similar to other online mapping services (such as Google Maps) but it contains additional information, including tribal boundaries.
News from the PSAC, States and Territories
Minnesota public safety officials hosted FirstNet last week at the 2016 Minnesota Public Safety Interoperable Communications Conference in St. Cloud, Minnesota. FirstNet provided the opening keynote and led several workshops on topics such as Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG-9-1-1), tribal engagement, equipment, and applications.
The PSAC Local Control task team will meet on Thursday, May 5 to discuss the topic of deployables.
We invite you to check out a new video titled “Law Enforcement Broadband Video,” published by the Texas team, available at https://youtu.be/j9JeYRoql9E.
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.
Police One 4/25: Public safety apps: Providing usable modern technology for first responders https://www.policeone.com/police-products/communications/articles/174557006-Public-safety-apps-Providing-usable-modern-technology-for-first-responders/
Public safety personnel are embracing an array of new technologies in their jobs. Body cameras, in-vehicle computers, smartphone applications, license plate readers, facial recognition technologies, and mobile consoles for fingerprint reading are just some of the innovative tools gaining rapid adoption. The real value of all this technology is to empower the first responder in the field and improve safety, situational awareness, and efficiency. With modern broadband technology, data can be pushed directly to a number of diverse devices, resulting in a seemingly revolutionary shift in operations.
Homeland Preparedness News 4/25: FirstNet looks ahead to selecting private partner to build first public safety communications network https://homelandprepnews.com/countermeasures/18680-firstnet-looks-ahead-selecting-private-partner-build-first-public-safety-communications-network/
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) will continue to accept proposals from private partners for deployment of an innovative nationwide public safety broadband network until May 31, with the goal of making an award Nov. 1, the agency recently said. “FirstNet is going to really revolutionize the communications technology for first responders,” April Ward, senior media advisor at FirstNet, told Homeland Preparedness News. “Our next-generation technology isn’t just going to save lives, but it’s going to keep our first responders safer and make our communities safer, because it’s going to provide extra situational awareness for people out in the field.”
American City and County 4/27: FirstNet for First Responders by TJ Kennedy http://americancityandcounty.com/public-safety/firstnet-first-responders
The “Internet of Things” holds enormous potential for cities and counties across America. Connecting data-rich items – such as computing devices, machines and grids – stands to improve efficiencies and enhance productivity in the sector. Specifically, this concept holds much promise for our nation’s first responders, who often operate in a mobile environment and benefit from having real-time, actionable information at their fingertips when they are responding to an emergency. However, despite advancements in consumer-based technologies, today citizens with smart phones may have more advanced communication capabilities than many police officers or firefighters have on their work-issued devices.
Web and Social Media
FirstNet social media enjoyed a bump in traffic and interest, following participation in the FedScoop and law enforcement social media conferences. Twitter gained nearly 50 new followers and is now at 3,560 followers, while LinkedIn has 1,474 followers. YouTube now has 258 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 Yancy Edwards at yancy.edwards.ctr@firstnet.gov for possible inclusion in an upcoming update.