FirstNet held its first Industry Day to discuss the Request for Proposal (RFP) draft which is on the street for comments. I missed it but was able to find out from the web-site a lot of what transpired. It appears as if the business model is looming as the big unknown at this point. Will there be serious bidders who will stand up to spend the Billions of dollars needed to build out this network? Will they believe that the money spent will be an investment in secondary spectrum usage that will assist them with broadband demand?
The other big issue is how many States will opt out and what will the final rules be for these opt-outs. I believe that several states might opt out not because they are not interested in FirstNet for their State but simply because, like anything else that includes both Federal and State governments, there are political situations at play here also. Questions are due next week on May 28th and final comments are due at the end of July. I hope that we all get another chance to see a revised draft before the final RFP is published, the more everyone get to see the changes the more likely FirstNet is to have some qualified bidders. My question still is, does FirstNet have a plan is there is no qualified bidder after the RFP is opened? Other news is below, have a great and safe holiday week-end! Andy
FirstNet Holds First Industry Day to Detail Draft RFP – National Public Safety Telecommunications Council – NPSTC via Google Alerts May 18 22:15 The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) held its first industry day to discuss …
FirstNet sheds light on financial challenges during Industry Day event – Urgent Communications via Google Alerts May 15 19:00 FirstNet is seeking partnerships that ensure the nationwide public-safety broadband network is financially sustainable in the long term and provides …
iHeartMedia Fined $1M for Misuse of Emergency Alert System Tones (5/20/15) – MissionCritical Communications, Radio Resource International, and Public Safety Report … via Google Alerts May 22 10:30 … chief of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau. Misuse of the emergency alert system jeopardizes the nation’s public safety, falsely alarms the public and …
APCO International Announces 2015 Award Winners – Public Safety Communications – APCO International via Google Alerts May 22 04:25 Alexandria, VA The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International is pleased to announce the winners of the 2015 …
Process for states’ opt-out opportunity complicates FirstNet business model – Urgent Communications via Google Alerts May 19 16:55 By any measure, FirstNet’s task to build a sustainable nationwide broadband network for public safety is enormous. Just building a nationwide …
FirstNet Officially Announces Meetings – National Public Safety Telecommunications Council – NPSTC via Google Alerts May 19 06:25 The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) has officially announced its board and committee meetings for next month in San Diego. The board’s …
AT&T’s stunningly shameless new take on net neutrality – Boy Genius Report May 18 12:45 All big companies spin the truth in ridiculous ways, but every once in a while a company will try to distort reality in such a way that you just have to tip your cap in awe. Such was the case this week when AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson explained why his company plans to move forward with $18 billion worth of broadband investments despite the fact that the Federal Communications Commission earlier this year passed what he and his fellow big carriers depicted as investment-destroying net neutrality regulations. DON’T MISS: If this report is correct, the iPhone 6s might be the…
Public safety spectrum & systems.pdf – Upload PDF via Google Alerts May 18 08:20 … worldwide is concentrated on a limited number of frequency bands. Among them, the 400 MHz is the most currently used for narrowband systems. ..
Sponsored Data and Net Neutrality: Exemption and Discrimination in the Mobile Broadband Industry – Media Industries via Google Alerts May 22 09:25 The FCC’s 2015 Open Internet regulations are strong net neutrality protections, but their effectiveness ultimately depends on their enforcement.
FCC Warns Broadband Providers To Follow ‘Core Tenets’ Of Privacy Protections – MediaPost Communications via Google Alerts May 21 17:25 Last week, a coalition of trade groups, AT&T and CenturyLink asked a federal appellate court to stay portions of the net neutrality order — including …
FCC’s Open Internet Order Won’t Stand Up To The First Amendment – Forbes via Google Alerts May 21 17:15 Is watching Netflix on the broadband Internet more like (A) watching cable …
Bait-and-SwitchOr Why the FCC’s ‘Virtuous Circle’ Theory is Nonsense – Bloomberg BNA via Google Alerts May 21 16:20 The 2010 and 2015 Open Internet Orders make clear that the FCC views consumer demand in this context as the end-user demand for broadband …
President Obama Announces Renomination Of Jessica Rosenworcel As FCC Commissioner – All Access Music Group via Google Alerts May 21 16:10 She has been a forceful advocate on E-rate, public safety, and spectrum policy …
How Verizon Buying AOL Subverts an Open Internet – Gizmodo May 21 13:30 Telecommunication companies were up in arms in February after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made net neutrality the law of the land by classifying broadband internet as a utility, seeming to ensure there would be no pay-to-play fast lanes. Read more…
Post Profile – Regator via Google Alerts May 21 08:15 AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson does not believe the Federal Communications Commission’s redefinition of broadband service under Title II of the …
Iridium Donates Emergency Telecom Equipment to ITU – TeleAnalysis via Google Alerts May 21 00:20 … use technologies, local communities can be empowered to provide early warning signals and also act as first responders when the disaster strikes.
North Carolina sues FCC over municipal broadband – The Independent Weekly via Google Alerts May 20 22:25 Instead, this case will revolve around the question of whether the FCC had …
FCC To Keep Enforcing Privacy Rules Post-Net Neutrality – Law360 via Google Alerts May 20 20:25 Law360, Washington (May 20, 2015, 6:21 PM ET) — The Federal Communications Commission will continue to enforce on broadband Internet carriers …
How the FTC Can Successfully Police Broadband-Related Internet Abuses – Heritage.org via Google Alerts May 20 16:25 On February 26, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to impose …
GAO: FCC needs to measure whether consumers receive satisfactory broadband performance info – FierceGovernmentIT via Google Alerts May 20 09:00 In 2015, the FCC made enhancements to the transparency rule, which “now states that disclosures of network performance should include actual …
The economics of net neutrality and how Verizon’s AOL deal subverts an open internet – The Social Mailman logo – Uberflip via Google Alerts May 20 08:15 The net neutrality debate has sparked many protests in recent years, culminating in the FCC decision to make broadband a utility.
Top Telecom Analyst Urges ISPs to Cap and Meter Broadband Usage – DSL Reports via Google Alerts May 19 16:50 Moffett’s back at it again this week, insisting that cable operators should rush toward caps and overages before the FCC’s new net neutrality rules ruin …
Arizona First Net Upcoming Meetings – Arizona Fire Chiefs Association via Google Alerts May 19 06:25 AZ FirstNet is responsible for ensuring Arizona public safety agencies are aware of FirstNet, the nationwide public safety broadband network, and are …
Talking tech in a disaster – www.Officer.com via Google Alerts May 19 00:00 More recently in 2010, 2011 the center started working on the public safety broadband (dubbed FirstNet in 2012). ITEC supports the applications that …
Get to know FirstNet – www.Officer.com via Google Alerts May 19 00:00 In addition, the Act required the FCC to grant a single license to FirstNet for the use of both the 700 MHz D block and existing public safety broadband …
Norway’s Nationwide Public Safety Network to Expand Connectivity between LTE and TETRA – World News via Google Alerts May 18 17:50 Cisco WiMAX and Liberty Technologies Bring Nationwide Broadband to …
PSCR Public Safety Broadband Stakeholder Meeting, June 3-5 – National Public Safety Telecommunications Council – NPSTC via Google Alerts May 18 17:50 National Public Safety Telecommunications Council …
North Carolina Still Wants To Block Municipal Broadband – Slashdot May 18 13:15 An anonymous reader writes: In February, when the FCC rolled out its net neutrality rules, it also voted to override state laws that let Texas and North Carolina block ISPs created by local governments and public utilities. These laws frequently leave citizens facing a monopoly or duopoly with no recourse, so the FCC abolished them. Now, North Carolina has sued the FCC to get them back. State Attorney General Roy Cooper claims, “the FCC unlawfully…
Brazil Army seeks more spectrum in 700 MHz band – Telecompaper via Google Alerts May 18 10:45 With a 4G network in the 700 MHz band, the armed forces would have a single security network for the national public security strategy. The Brazilian …
FCC will consider accessibility items at may 21 meeting – Lexology via Google Alerts May 18 08:35 Currently, the 900 MHz band consists of narrowband channels in ten-channel blocks that alternate between geographically licensed Specialized …
House subcommittee OKs bill aimed at improving interoperable first responder communications – Fierce Homeland Security via Google Alerts May 18 00:40 The independent First Responder Network Authority, better known as FirstNet, is currently meeting with state, tribal and local communities to develop …