FirstNet News
- Last week, FirstNet participated in an after action review of the Harris County, Texas Early Builder Project’s network and application deployment at Super Bowl LI in Houston, Texas. The 10-day operational period was roundly considered to be a great success and illustrated the benefits of a dedicated public safety broadband network. Public safety officials outlined the benefits of the network and identified other areas for refinement, including more collaboration with the end user community and development of processes and procedures in alignment with an event concept of operations. Representatives from the LA-RICS Program also participated in the discussion and provided a briefing on operations at the Rose Parade.
- FirstNet also met with the Wisconsin Tribal Emergency Management Alliance last week in Wausau, including representatives of the Oneida Tribe, Menominee Tribe, St. Croix Chippewas, and HoChunk Nation, as well as a FEMA liaison and a local county official who works with the Potawatomi Community. The conversation focused on data collection, the FirstNet timeline, tribal consultation, tower location, and environmental considerations.
- This week, FirstNet will be participating in a Connecticut Statewide Interoperable Executive Committee meeting in Middletown; Nebraska regional meetings in Bridgepoint and Kearney; a meeting with Navajo Nation tribal and public safety leadership in Flagstaff, Arizona; a Phoenix Public Safety Cabinet meeting in Arizona; the University of Colorado Interdisciplinary Telecom Program Seminar Series in Boulder; the 2017 EMS Today JEMS Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah; an Indian Country Intelligence Network meeting in Phoenix, Arizona; a meeting with the Adjutants General Association of the United States in Washington, DC; an Indian Country Law Enforcement Coordination Group meeting in Washington, DC; the 2017 Missouri Association of Fire Chiefs Seminar in Ridgedale, Missouri; the National Governors Association Winter Meeting in Washington, DC; and the National Association of Counties (NACo) 2017 Legislative Conference in Washington, DC.
- Last week, FirstNet posted two new blog posts: As Cities Become ‘Smart’, Public Safety Looks to FirstNet for Priority Broadband and Law Enforcement Comes Together in our Nation’s Capital for Winter Meetings. All blog posts are available on the FirstNet blog at: www.firstnet.gov/newsroom/blog.
- FirstNet’s quarterly newsletters are out! Visit FirstNet.gov to read and share the latest FirstNet updates for the Fire Rescue, EMS, Law Enforcement, and 9-1-1 communities. We now have an online subscription form for the FirstNet newsletters. Sign up and share here.
News from the PSAC, States and Territories
- FirstNet is planning to hold an in-person PSAC meeting on Thursday, June 15th, 2017 in San Antonio, Texas, just after the conclusion of the PSCR annual conference. Further details on location and invitational travel are forthcoming, and PSAC members are asked to hold the date on their calendars. Please email PSAC@firstnet.gov with any questions.
- The 2017 Tennessee Advanced Communications Network (TACN) Regional Public Safety Broadband Conferences are March 7th, 8th, and 9th from 10am-3pm. The Conferences are free to attend, and lunch will be provided. Register at www.TACN.tech/events.
Media Watch
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WAVE 3 News 2/16: Broadband Tools Strengthen Rose Parade Security
http://www.wave3.com/story/34521410/broadband-tools-strengthen-rose-parade-security
Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System and Motorola Solutions deploy broadband infrastructure, software and devices to protect Rose Parade. The current LA-RICS system, built with Motorola Solutions strategic partner Ericsson, has more than 70 LTE towers and will have a growing number of LMR sites to boost the overall system’s appeal to public safety agencies as more towers are added. LA-RICS represents the largest of the Early Builder projects that are part of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet). As the prime contractor for LA-RICS, Motorola Solutions continues its global leadership in creating public safety broadband networks that complement existing LMR infrastructure.
Web and Social Media
FirstNet’s social media presence grew at the normal rate this week. Twitter gained 55 new followers, now at 5,073. Facebook has 684 followers. LinkedIn now has 1,871 followers. YouTube has 385 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 PSAC@firstnet.gov for possible inclusion in an upcoming update.