It’s time for the FCC’s Task Force on Optimal Public Safety Answering Point Architecture (TFOPA) “to get back to work” in the wake of its report recommending actions for PSAPs that are transitioning to next-generation 911 (NG-911) systems (TRDaily, Jan. 29), FCC Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Deputy Chief David Furth said today. Follow-up tasks for the second stage of the TFOPA’s two-year charter include identity credentialing and access management (ICAN), possible guidelines for the appropriate use of facilities or shared services, and the development of a funding sustainment model, Mr. Furth noted at a TFOPA meeting at FCC headquarters in Washington.

TFOPA Chair Steve Souder, who is director of the Fairfax County (Va.) Department of 911/Public Safety Communications, said that work has continued even during the “four-month” reprieve since the task force approved the report at its last meeting.

Jay English, who chairs working group 1 (optimal approach to cybersecurity) and is director–comm center and 911 services for the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International, said that TFOPA doesn’t “need to re-invent the wheel” when it comes to cybersecurity and can “capitalize on” existing products by soliciting presentations from companies that already “defend large organizations.” He also said that the task force needs to “come up with recommendations for work force training” because “if we don’t train the work force to be part of the solution, by default they become part of the problem.”

Mr. English said that since the report was released he has heard from PSAP officials who said they didn’t realize cybersecurity “was such a big problem [for PSAPs] right now, and I didn’t know we had options.”  As an example, he said that people who work at PSAPs need to realize they shouldn’t install “a coupon-clipping app” on work computers for the overnight shift.

David Holl, who chairs working group 2 (optimal 911 service architecture) and is director–public safety for Lower Allen Township, Pa., said, “The next gen 911 planning framework and the next gen ready scorecard need to come together.” He said that groups such as APCO and the National Emergency Number Association “are doing fantastic work” in the area of next gen 911 readiness and deployment.  “Pulling together all of those sources to what’s out there together and maybe giving them a centralized voice is something we have to do,” Mr. Holl added.

Phil Jones, who chairs working group 3 (optimal resource allocation) and is a commissioner on the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC), said that among the issues related to resource allocation that need further attention are discouraging diversion of revenues from state 911 fees to other purposes and obtaining 911 fee revenues for prepaid wireless services. 

Commissioner Jones will be stepping down as the TFOPA representative from the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners soon, and he said he expects that today will be his last meeting of the full TFOPA, although he told TRDaily that he may chair one or two more meetings of the working group before the transition to a new NARUC representative is completed.  NARUC has designated Tim Schram, the chairman of the Nebraska Public Service Commission, to be its new TFOPA representative, but the process for FCC approval could take several weeks, Commissioner Jones said.

Commissioner Jones also clarified to TRDaily that he is not stepping down from his role at the WUTC, where his current term extends until the end of December, but that he has been trying to find “newer, younger” state commissioners to take over some of external roles he has taken on, and that the shift from the first phase of the TFOPA to the second phase seemed like a good time to do that.  He noted that he has not made up his mind whether to seek reappointment to the WUTC for another term.

Chairman Schram reported to TFOPA today about a recently enacted Nebraska law (LB 938) that included funding for a statewide NG-911 system. —Lynn Stanton, lynn.stanton@wolterskluwer.com

Courtesy TRDaily