Public Safety and FirstNet’s Re-Education Task: The elections are over. I won’t go into what the changing of the guard might or might not mean for the Public Safety community or FirstNet. Instead I want to concentrate on the education and re-education process for all of the new faces and staffs that will be emerging within the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government, House of Representatives, Senate, state governors, city mayors, council members, and county supervisors. FirstNet exists today as a result of the extraordinary efforts of the Public Safety community through the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST) and the Public Safety Alliance (PSA). These organizations spent month after month for several years educating our law makers, the executive branch of the government, governors, mayors, and a host of others about the need for FirstNet and Public Safety broadband wireless communications. It did not hurt that the 9/11 Commission Report recommended that Public Safety communications be updated. And it did not hurt that there was a minor earthquake in Virginia that crippled commercial cellular networks and Congress saw firsthand the effects of jammed networks, or that Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy pointed out the weakness of commercial communications systems and Public Safety interoperability issues. But it was the feet on the street, the long meetings, articles, and more that drove home the need for FirstNet so that Congress finally enacted a bill that provided Public Safety with most but not all of what it wanted and needed.
For the next few months the Public Safety community and FirstNet will have to turn some of its attention to educating the newly elected folks who could impact FirstNet and the work that has been done. There will be new FirstNet board members for sure. Three of the seats on the board are for federal officials that are appointed and not elected. They include a seat for the Department of Homeland Security, Attorney General of the United States, and Director of the Office of Management and the Budget. It is obvious that there will be new department heads appointed after January 20, 2017, and, at some point, they will designate the person from their office who will fill the seat on the FirstNet board of directors. It would be great if these appointed officials could be brought up to speed prior to their making a board appointment.
Next up is the U.S. Congress. While the majority party of both houses will remain the same there are new members and new committee chairs and members will be appointed. It seems that staffers for the newly elected and newly appointed to committees of interest for FirstNet should be educated about FirstNet, its purpose, and the need to continue moving forward. The good news for FirstNet is one of its smartest hires was a congressional staffer who assisted the Public Safety community prior to FirstNet being formed and who is well respected in the halls of Congress. During our many visits to congressional offices we found one of Public Safety’s most potent weapons is the elected sheriffs. They are voted on like members of Congress, and in somewhat of an irony we found that many of the sheriffs who worked so hard to get FirstNet off the ground were elected by more votes in their own county than the congressional representative.
That brings us to the new governors. Their people will have to decide to opt in or opt out of FirstNet. Hopefully they will rely on those currently working for each state on its FirstNet involvement but it would certainly help if these new governors could also be brought up to speed regarding FirstNet and the need for this system to be built out as quickly as possible. Mayors, city council members, and county supervisors will hopefully listen to their own Public Safety community, which means local Public Safety organizations will have to have been properly briefed. I still find entire counties and even some cities where the word “FirstNet” is not understood and the concept of the broadband network has not been on the Public Safety radar. That leaves several important parts of the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government. FirstNet is “attached” to the Department of Commerce and within that organization the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Among their many duties, they are responsible for assignment of all spectrum for the federal government and overseeing FirstNet. The last agency, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), might be the most important for the opt-out process. There will be changes there and not only at the commissioner level but also within the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB).
FirstNet’s broadband spectrum is the only broadband spectrum that comes under Part 90 FCC rules and it is administered by the PSHSB. Any and all opt-out requests will probably have to be reviewed by this bureau. It is incumbent on both FirstNet and the Public Safety community to ensure that both the new PSHSB director and his or her staff be well versed in FirstNet ahead of any opt-out decisions. Reviewing this article, I come to the conclusion that I have outlined a tremendous amount of work for both FirstNet and the Public Safety community. This work, of course, is on top of all the other work that must be done sequentially. However, having worked for both the PSST and PSA, and having been associated with FirstNet for a short period of time where I made some friends within today’s FirstNet, I know both the Public Safety community and FirstNet are up to the task.
Even so, perhaps it is time to reconstitute the Public Safety Alliance to work with FirstNet to make sure all these newly elected and appointed officials are up to speed on this most important project. They will already be overloaded trying to get up to speed on many other issues, but we need to impress upon all of them the extreme need to move forward and not allow FirstNet to be delayed in any way. Andrew M. Seybold
Please Note: This issue of the Public Safety Advocate was published early because of work commitments and next week’s edition will be late. I have been elected to the Board of Directors of the Radio Club of America and will be attending the RCA Technical Symposium and Annual Banquet in New York next week.
FirstNet Network – Interceder.net via Google Alerts Nov 10 00:05 3 hours ago, Test lab opens in Boulder for nationwide public safety broadband network – Colorado Daily …
FirstNet will follow federal procurement rules, but delays in the process will not be allowed, CEO … – Urgent Communications via Google Alerts Nov 3 05:35 … tasked to build and maintain a nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) for the next 25 years, FirstNet CEO Mike Poth said yesterday.
FirstNet Opens Test Lab – CivSource via Google Alerts Nov 9 19:15 … industry partner will test public safety features, devices, and apps before they are deployed on the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network.
Understanding Qualcomm’s Vision of Future Growth Trends – Market Realist via Google Alerts Nov 8 16:20 The company stated that telecom operators are now focusing on industrial narrowband LTE (long-term evolution) and consumer IoT devices.
DHS, APCO Form Public-Safety Mobile App Security Partnership – ExecutiveGov via Google Alerts Nov 8 09:45 mobile security The Department of Homeland Security and the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International have partnered to …
Public Safety Communications Leadership in Policy Awards Dinner – Evensi via Google Alerts Nov 3 21:16 APCO International will host its 13th Annual Public Safety Communications Leadership in Policy Awards Dinner May 17 in Washington, DC. The event …
MTN, Vodacom unveil narrowband IOT plans | ITWeb – News Report Center via Google Alerts Nov 10 07:10 MTN, Vodacom unveil narrowband IOT plans | ITWeb. Vodacom says new services enabled by NB-IOT will include the next wave of connected things.
High-quality mobile broadband services for all Europeans – EurActiv PR via Google Alerts Nov 10 06:50 In a vote today on the opening-up of the so-called 700 MHz spectrum band, the European Parliament’s Industry Committee called for faster internet …
Library ebook Packet Switching Evolution From Narrowband To Broadband ISDN pdf download … – zawaaycic.ru via Google Alerts Nov 10 03:10 Packet Switching Evolution From Narrowband To Broadband ISDN | zawaaycic.ru. Jenis Koleksi, Buku. Judul, Packet Switching Evolution from …
MTN and Huawei launch water metering solution – eNCA via Google Alerts Nov 9 22:35 Huawei said in a statement that the smart water metering solution, the first narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) solution in Africa, will automatically …
The Public Safety LTE & Mobile Broadband Market: 2016 – 2030 – Opportunities, Challenges … – PR Newswire via Google Alerts Nov 9 21:40 Several early adopter LTE deployments are also operational in the United States, as part of the planned FirstNet nationwide public safety broadband …
TV White Space Spectrum Market by End-Use (Rural Internet Access, Urban Connectivity … – ReportsnReports via Google Alerts Nov 9 19:25 … End-Use (Rural Internet Access, Urban Connectivity, Emergency & Public Safety, Smart Grid Networks, Vehicle Broadband Access), Device (Fixed, …
Motorola provides TETRA system for Bravo network in Saudi Arabia – Wireless magazine via Google Alerts Nov 9 19:15 Motorola Solutions will also provide Bravo with WAVE 7000, its public safety-grade broadband push-to-talk (PTT) offering, used for projects that …
Test lab opens in Boulder for nationwide public safety broadband network – Boulder Daily Camera via Google Alerts Nov 9 17:16 A ribbon cutting was held Wednesday for a Boulder test lab that will develop and test features, devices and apps for deployment on the nation’s …
Global Mobile Broadband Market in Public Safety Sector 2016-2020 – Hexa Reports via Google Alerts Nov 9 16:50 About Mobile Broadband in Public Safety Due to the bandwidth limitations of the traditional voice-centric LMR networks, public safety agencies are …
Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau; Federal Advisory Committee Act – Justia Regulation Tracker via Google Alerts Nov 9 09:15 Agencies. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION. [Federal Register Volume 81, Number 217 (Wednesday, November 9, 2016)] [Notices] …
Huawei, China Mobile complete NB-IoT test – Telecompaper via Google Alerts Nov 9 07:00 Huawei announced it has completed the system function and performance verification test on the 3GPP-compliant narrowband Internet of Things …
Government wants better cyber info-sharing with industry – Washington Technology via Google Alerts Nov 9 04:35 The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is …
Attorneys general try to block transfer of authority over internet domains – Southeast Texas Record via Google Alerts Nov 8 20:35 … government and the National Telecoms and Information Administration (NTIA), the agency previously responsible for internet domain oversight.
FirstNet Misses Network Procurement Deadline – AGL via Google Alerts Nov 8 20:30 FirstNet missed its Nov. 1 target for awarding the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, FirstNet CEO Mike Poth wrote in a blog on their web …
FCC Adopts Privacy Regulations for Broadband Internet Service Providers – JD Supra via Google Alerts Nov 8 20:30 … such as certain restrictions on affiliate data sharing and marketing practices, or the data breach notification and reporting requirements. In contrast …
FCC – The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Reminds EAS Participants of Upcoming … – Colorado Media.Net via Google Alerts Nov 8 16:15 From the FCC: The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Reminds EAS Participants of Upcoming ETRS Form Three Filing Deadline …
NTIA vulnerability disclosure process aims to wrap up early next year – Inside Cybersecurity via Google Alerts Nov 8 12:35 A National Telecommunications and Information Administration public-private multistakeholder process is eyeing the finish line for new cyber …
FCC – Public Safety And Homeland Security Bureau Announces Region 28 – Colorado Media.Net via Google Alerts Nov 8 08:20 From the FCC: Public Safety And Homeland Security Bureau Announces Region 28 (Eastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey And Delaware …
IoT on Track to Be Integrated with Railway Lines – ENGINEERING.com via Google Alerts Nov 4 10:40 Among the companies partnered with the SNCF for this project include IoT networking company Sigfox, 2G technology and 4G/LTE narrow-band …
Nkom warns of restrictions to wireless mics on 700 MHz band – Telecompaper via Google Alerts Nov 4 08:50 Nkom said the guard band and the gap in between (733-758 MHz) could be used for services other than mobile broadband, and might possibly be …
FCC Vows To Monitor ‘Pay-For-Privacy’ Broadband Pricing – MediaPost Communications via Google Alerts Nov 3 23:16 Internet service providers including AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile now zero-rate certain video streams. Consumer advocates criticize the practice, but …
Education, Health Coalition Makes Push for Ethernet Caps in Business Data Services Rule – Morning Consult via Google Alerts Nov 3 22:20 The Schools, Health, and Libraries Broadband Coalition on Thursday said it wants the FCC to place price caps …
APCO workshops public safety apps – Critical Comms via Google Alerts Nov 3 17:10 The US Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) hosted a half-day workshop earlier this week to discuss road mapping …
A Huge Victory for Online Privacy Advocates – Common Dreams via Google Alerts Nov 3 06:25 As AT&T and Time Warner plan to merge, new FCC rules on broadband …
IoT security is paramount for operators as they test new NB-IoT standard – IoT Now via Google Alerts Nov 3 05:20 EE has become the latest network operator in the UK to discuss its plans to trial and develop narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) services in Q2 …
LTE standards provide new levels of efficiency for IoT – Before It’s News via Google Alerts Nov 3 02:05 In fact, international standards body 3GPP recently defined requirements for new narrowband LTE-based IoT, which is now making its way to …
United States Court of Appeals Votes 3-0 To Stay Federal Communications Commission’s Order on … – SYS-CON Media via Google Alerts Nov 3 01:35 DALLAS, Nov. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Securus Technologies, a leading provider of civil and criminal justice technology solutions for public safety, …
Ericsson and Qualcomm test Cat-M1 IoT for Telstra – Wireless magazine via Google Alerts Nov 3 00:00 The test used Qualcomm’s new MDM9206 modem, designed to support LTE Cat-M1 for IoT applications and services, utilising the 700 MHz band …